Dino Wiki / All dinos / Beaked plant-eaters

Dino card No. 0340 of 2,027

Camptosaurus

Say it: KAMP-tə-SOR-əs

Name means: “flexible lizard”1

Ate: PlantsBeaked plant-eatersLate Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Camptosaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period. It had a beak like a bird and strong back legs, but it could also walk on all fours when eating low plants.1 2

Lived

158 to 143 million years ago5

Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

western United States (Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming), Germany, and Spain5 1

Food

Plants1

Length

5 to 6.79 m1

some adults up to 6.79 m

Weight

500 kg to 1 tonnes1

Height

2 m3

standing height at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

standing height at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 33 big dogs

as long as 7 dogs nose to tailas long as 38 bananas end to endas heavy as 200 watermelonsabout as tall as a door

How big was Camptosaurus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Camptosaurus means 'flexible lizard' because its back bones were thought to be bendy.1

It had four toes on each foot, which is unusual for ornithopods.1

A tiny 9-inch fossil embryo found in Utah may belong to Camptosaurus.1

Its thumb was a small spur, not a big spike like its relative Iguanodon.2

Scientists think Camptosaurus could run at about 25 km per hour (15 mph).1

The first fossils were found in Wyoming in 1879 by William Harlow Reed.1

AI-made picture of Camptosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Camptosaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Camptosaurus

?How big was Camptosaurus?

Camptosaurus typically reached 5 to 6 metres (16 to 20 ft) long and weighed 500 to 1,000 kilograms (1,100 to 2,200 lb). The largest fragments suggest adults could be up to 6.79 metres (22.3 ft) long.1

?What did Camptosaurus eat?

Camptosaurus was a plant-eater. It had a beak for cropping plants and grinding teeth for chewing tough vegetation.1 4

?When did Camptosaurus live?

Camptosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 155 to 145 million years ago.4

?Could Camptosaurus walk on two legs?

Yes, Camptosaurus could walk on two legs or on all fours. It had strong hind legs and smaller forelimbs that could support it while feeding on low plants.2

?Where was Camptosaurus found?

Camptosaurus fossils have been found in western North America (especially Wyoming and Utah) and possibly also Europe, including England and Spain.1 4

?Is Camptosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, Camptosaurus is a dinosaur. It is a plant-eating ornithischian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic.1 4

Ask Rex about Camptosaurus

Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.

Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.

Myth buster

Myth: Camptosaurus always walked on two legs.

Truth: It could walk on two legs or on all fours, especially when feeding.2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Camptosaurus
Named by: Marsh 18855
Group: Beaked plant-eaters
Family / clade: Ankylopollexia5
Classification: Ornithischia > Ornithopoda > Iguanodontia5
Age of the rocks: 158 to 143 million years ()5
Rock formations: Morrison, Süntel, Villar del Arzobispo5
Countries: USA, Germany, Spain5
Fossil records: 42 in the Paleobiology Database5
Also known as: Brachyrophus, Camptonotus, Symphyrophus, Uteodon (older names now counted as the same animal)5
Discovery: Othniel Charles Marsh named Camptosaurus in 1885, after first calling it Camptonotus in 1879. The fossils came from Wyoming, USA.1
Still debated: Scientists debate which fossils truly belong to Camptosaurus and which belong to similar dinosaurs like Uteodon.1

Where the facts come from

Camptosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Camptosaurus | Jurassic Period, Quadrupedal, Herbivore | Britannica (britannica.com)
Camptosaurus | Earth and Atmospheric Sciences | Research Starters | EBSCOhost (ebsco.com)
Camptosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Camptosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex