Metazoa info

[Duke Guilmon]

†Stegosaurus stenops



Size: Stegosaurus could grow up to 9m

Weight: Estimated to be 2.3 metric tons 

Life expectancy: Stegosaurus has been estimated to live up to 75-100 years

When it first appeared: Late Jurassic 155-150 MYA

Location: Stegosaurus once roamed in the state of colorado. It once lived in forest with a district wet and dry season. 



Taxonomy:
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Eureptilia
Clade: Romerrida
Clade: Diapsida
Clade: Neodiapsida
Clade: Sauria
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosaurifromes
Clade: Crurotarsi
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Avemetatarsalia
Clade: Dinosauromorpha
Clade: Dinosauriformes
Clade: Dinosauria
Order: †Ornithischa
Clade: †Genosauria
Clade: †Thyreophora
Suborder: †Stegosuria
Family: †Stegosauridae
Genus: †Stegosaurus
Species: †Stegosaurus stenops

Diet: Stegosaurus is said to have eaten mosses, ferns, horsetails, cycads, conifers, and fruit

Anatomy: Stegosaurus has teeth and jaws that differ from that of other ornithischian dinosaurs. This is due to the diet of the dinosaur. What stegosaurus is known for is its back plates and its spiked tail. The purpose of the plates is still a debated matter. Some say that the plates had some role in protection, but it is debated that they aren't due to the fact that the plates were kinda frail and thin. The plates have been found to have the ability to change color via blood flow, whether it be for attracting mates or threatening predators. Last interesting part of the stegosaurus is its second brain. This is said to be a glycogen body, which helps in the nervous system. This is found throughout many dinosaurs.

Behavior: Stegosaurus is a social animal, living in very small herds.  It spent its days roaming and grazing. 

Reproduction: Not much is known about its reproduction or how many eggs it laid. Juveniles would measure up to 1.5m long. 

Relationship with other animals: Stegosaurus lived  with a well known predator, allosaurus. Based on the findings of allosaurus, it was not lucky in hunting this animal, as many have been found with marks of an encounter with stegosaurus. 



With plates like these...

Other sources:

http://www.livescience.com/24184-stegosaurus-facts.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stegosaurus

http://www.dinosaurfacts.org/stegosaurus