Stegosaurus Facts for Kids

26 Stegosaurus Facts For Kids

1. The Stegosaurus was a dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic Period.
2. Stegosaurus was a large quadrupedal armor ornithopod.
3. The Stegosaurus was herbivorous and ate plant matter (plants, foliage, vegetation, etc.).
4. You pronounce the name Stegosaurus by saying: “STEG-oh-SORE-us”.
5. The meaning of the dinosaur name Stegosaurus is “roof lizard”.
6. There are three species of Stegosaurus recognized by paleontologists.
7. The type species for the Stegosaurus is Stegosaurus stenops.
8. The other two species of Stegosaurus are Stegosaurus ungulatusand Stegosaurus sulcatus.
9. American geologist Arthur Lakes was the first person to discover a Stegosaurus specimen in 1876.
10. American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh was the first person to scientifically described the Stegosaurus in 1877.
11. The holotype specimen for Stegosaurus is YPM 1850.
12. The Stegosaurus was estimated to have an average body length of 22 feet.
13. The Stegosaurus was estimated to have an average body weight of 4.2 tons
14. The lifespan of the Stegosaurus is estimated to have been between 25 and 50 years.
15. The running speed of the Stegosaurus is estimated to have been around 5 miles per hour.
16. The Stegosaurus is one of the most popular dinosaurs worldwide, especially among kids.
17. The Stegosaurus is easy to identify with its two rows of kite-shaped armored plates rising from its back and its four long spikes on the end of its tail.
18. The average adult Stegosaurus had between 17 and 22 kited-shaped armored on its back.
19. The average size of the plates on the back of a Stegosaurus were 24 inches tall and 24 inches wide.
20. The spikes on the back of a Stegosaurus were most likely used as a mating display and/or thermoregulation.
21. The four long spikes on the tail of a Stegosaurus were used as a defense mechanism against large predators.
22. The average length of the spikes on the tail of a Stegosaurus was between 2 and 3 feet.
23. Paleontologists have discovered more than 80 different Stegosaurus fossil specimens.
24. Paleontologists first discovered of a Stegosaurus fossil specimen occurred during the Bone Wars between 1872 and 1892.
25. The Stegosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic Period with other dinosaurs like the Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Diplodocus, and the Torvosaurus.
26. The Stegosaurus is the official U.S. state fossil for Colorado.

Stegosaurus Pictures

There is a saying that claims a picture is worth a thousand words. If that is true then the below images will help you with your research on the Stegosaurus. The below you will find three pictures related to the Stegosaurus dinosaur. These pictures should give you a bettering understanding of the Stegosaurus and what it may have looked like.

A picture of a Stegosaurus in a forest.

A picture of a Stegosaurus and its baby.

A picture of a Stegosaurus during the nighttime.