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Stegosaurus
(steg-uh-SAWR-us)
Stegosaurus means "roof lizard" or "plated lizard"
Stegosaurus was about 30 feet long and 11 feet tall, tallest at the hips.
He weighed 2 tons.
Despite this size Stegosaurus had a brain the size of a walnut.
He relied on a large nerve center in his spine
to control the movements of his back legs and tail.
Stegosaurus was a 4-legged herbivore (plant eater), with a small head
toothless beak, and two rows of tall triangular bony plates jutting up from
the
neck, back and tail. Stegosaurus's plates were 1 inch thick and two feet tall.
Stegosaurus also had 4 long spikes attached to the end of its 10 foot long
tail.
These plates and spikes helped protect the Stegosaurus.
The spikes on the end of its tail made an excellent weapon.
The plates also helped warm and cool the dinosaurs body as needed.
Stegosaurus's front legs were only half the size of its back legs.
Its skull was long and narrow and its teeth were week,
so it probably ate only the softest of plants.
