Dino card No. 1612 of 2,027

Scutellosaurus

Say it: skoo-TELL-oh-SORE-us

Name means: “little-shielded lizard”1

Ate: PlantsArmoured dinosEarly Jurassic

Scutellosaurus was one of the earliest armoured dinosaurs. It had hundreds of bony plates along its back and tail, like a tiny walking shield. It could run on its hind legs and used its long tail for balance.1

Lived

201 to 184 million years ago4

Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

Arizona, USA1 2

Food

Plants4 1

Length

1.2 to 1.3 m1 2

Weight

3 kg1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 25 bananas

as long as 2.5 house cats nose to tailas long as 7 bananas end to endabout as heavy as a house catas heavy as 25 bananas

How big was Scutellosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Scutellosaurus had over 300 bony plates called osteoderms on its neck, back and tail.1

It lived about 196 million years ago during the Early Jurassic Period.1

This dinosaur was only about 1.3 metres long, about the size of a large dog.1

Scutellosaurus could walk on two legs, unlike later armoured dinosaurs that walked on all fours.1

Its closest relatives include Emausaurus and Scelidosaurus, which were also early armoured dinosaurs.1

The first fossil was found by David Lawler on the Navajo Nation in Arizona.1

Its name means 'little-shielded lizard' because of the many small shields on its body.1

AI-made picture of Scutellosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Scutellosaurus 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 Scutellosaurus

?How big was Scutellosaurus?

About 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) long and weighed around 3 kg (6.6 lb). That is about the size of a large dog.1 2

?What did Scutellosaurus eat?

It was an herbivore, meaning it ate plants. Its leaf-shaped cheek teeth were good for feeding on plants.1 3

?When did Scutellosaurus live?

It lived during the Early Jurassic Period, about 196 million years ago.1 2

?Where was Scutellosaurus found?

Its fossils were found in Arizona, USA, on the land of the Navajo Nation.1 3

?Did Scutellosaurus have feathers?

No, it did not have feathers. It had hundreds of bony plates called osteoderms on its back and tail for protection.1

?Is Scutellosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a dinosaur. It is an early thyreophoran, which is the group that includes armoured dinosaurs.1 2

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Scutellosaurus was a slow, heavy dinosaur like later ankylosaurs.

Truth: Scutellosaurus was lightly built and could probably run on its hind legs, making it much faster.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Scutellosaurus
Named by: Colbert 19814
Group: Armoured dinos
Family / clade: Thyreophora4
Classification: Ornithischia > Thyreophora4
Age of the rocks: 201 to 184 million years (Hettangian / Pliensbachian)4
Rock formations: Kayenta4
Countries: USA4
Fossil records: 23 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Scutellosaurus was named by Edwin Colbert in 1981. The first fossils were collected by David Lawler in the Kayenta Formation of Arizona.1 4
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly how the bony plates were arranged on its body, because the fossils are incomplete.1

Where the facts come from

Scutellosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Scutellosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Scutellosaurus | Genus, Features & Fossil Sites | Britannica (britannica.com)
Scutellosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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