Post by Barry the Baryonyx on Jun 27, 2007 19:59:43 GMT -5
Stegosaurus
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Pic © Joe Tucciarone and Jeff Poling
Stegosaurus (Steg·o·sau·rus)[Gr.,=roof lizard], quadriped ornithischian dinosaur of the late Jurassic period. About 29 ft 6 in (9 m) long, it had short forelegs, four long bony spikes on a flexible tail, and two rows of upright triangular bony plates running along the back, which gave it a serrated profile. The function of the plates is debated. They may have acted as deterrents to predatory dinosaurs, but some scientists have suggested that they were not strong enough to have functioned that way. Other theories are that they helped regulate body temperature by dissipating heat or absorbing solar rays or that they helped members of the species recognize each other. The head of Stegosaurus was small, and the brain weighed about 2.5 oz (71 grams). The front of the mouth was beak-shaped; there were small leaf-shaped teeth in the cheek area. An herbivore, Stegosaurus, along with Ankylosaurus, belongs to the group of armored dinosaurs, Thyreophora. Fossil skeletons have been found in the Jurassic beds of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
Stegosaurus is one of the most easily identifiable dinosaurs thanks to its large and foreboding appearance. Truth be told, paleontologists are unsure of how the spike-like plates on the Stegosaurus' back aligned themselves as they were not part of the bone. Some theories suggest that the plates were used to regulate the dinosaur's temperature (possibly by flapping the plates back and forth) or to ward off insects like cows and horses do today. They were most likely placed upward when a predator approached to give the illusion that the Stegosaurus was sharp and deadly. The plates could also have been used in mating practices.
Though the number of plates on the Stegosaurus' back hardly differ from skeleton to skeleton (they all had 17 plates), the number of horns on its tail does differ depending upon the species. Stegosaurus ungulatis carried eight horns on its tail while Stegosaurus stenops carried only four. Its rear legs were nearly twice as long as its front legs and reached more out to the side than its front limbs. The feet on each front legs had five toes while the rear feet had only three. Any reason for this uneven set up is unknown.
Despite its large size, the Stegosaurus' brains were tiny, only about the size of a walnut. In fact, it was once believed that Stegosaurus had two brains, one in its head and another near its hips. This has been disproved, though, revealing that what scientists thought was a brain was merely an enlarged spinal area that held either fatty tissues or nerve endings that may have been used to control the rear legs and powerful tail.
Copyright © 2006 Answers Corporation
\Pic © Joe Tucciarone and Jeff Poling
Stegosaurus (Steg·o·sau·rus)[Gr.,=roof lizard], quadriped ornithischian dinosaur of the late Jurassic period. About 29 ft 6 in (9 m) long, it had short forelegs, four long bony spikes on a flexible tail, and two rows of upright triangular bony plates running along the back, which gave it a serrated profile. The function of the plates is debated. They may have acted as deterrents to predatory dinosaurs, but some scientists have suggested that they were not strong enough to have functioned that way. Other theories are that they helped regulate body temperature by dissipating heat or absorbing solar rays or that they helped members of the species recognize each other. The head of Stegosaurus was small, and the brain weighed about 2.5 oz (71 grams). The front of the mouth was beak-shaped; there were small leaf-shaped teeth in the cheek area. An herbivore, Stegosaurus, along with Ankylosaurus, belongs to the group of armored dinosaurs, Thyreophora. Fossil skeletons have been found in the Jurassic beds of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
Stegosaurus is one of the most easily identifiable dinosaurs thanks to its large and foreboding appearance. Truth be told, paleontologists are unsure of how the spike-like plates on the Stegosaurus' back aligned themselves as they were not part of the bone. Some theories suggest that the plates were used to regulate the dinosaur's temperature (possibly by flapping the plates back and forth) or to ward off insects like cows and horses do today. They were most likely placed upward when a predator approached to give the illusion that the Stegosaurus was sharp and deadly. The plates could also have been used in mating practices.
Though the number of plates on the Stegosaurus' back hardly differ from skeleton to skeleton (they all had 17 plates), the number of horns on its tail does differ depending upon the species. Stegosaurus ungulatis carried eight horns on its tail while Stegosaurus stenops carried only four. Its rear legs were nearly twice as long as its front legs and reached more out to the side than its front limbs. The feet on each front legs had five toes while the rear feet had only three. Any reason for this uneven set up is unknown.
Despite its large size, the Stegosaurus' brains were tiny, only about the size of a walnut. In fact, it was once believed that Stegosaurus had two brains, one in its head and another near its hips. This has been disproved, though, revealing that what scientists thought was a brain was merely an enlarged spinal area that held either fatty tissues or nerve endings that may have been used to control the rear legs and powerful tail.
Copyright © 2006 Answers Corporation
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