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Stegosaurus Habitat
The stegosaurus or roof lizard was an herbivorous quadruped of the late Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago. The animal is believed to have been native to North America but there is evidence of stegosaurii having existed in Europe, and some evidence by way of fossil finds in Madagascar. |
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The stegosaurus had an arched back and distinctive plates that stood upright in double rows extending the length of its arched back down to the tail. The tail terminated in twin pairs of spikes. The forelegs were short because of which the head was held comparatively low suggesting it found its food at a lower level. On the other hand the tail was stiff and held high. The precise purpose of the plates and spikes of the stegosaurus are much debated. It is believed that the spikes and plates might have been a mechanism of self defense. This theory is disputed as the plates were comparatively fragile and their positioning was such as to leave the sides of the animal exposed and vulnerable. A more likely theory is that the plates served as radiators to dissipate body heat. This theory is supported by the fact that blood vessels traversed grooves within the plates which would have allowed the blood to cool in circulating air.
Paleontologists believe the staple food of the stegosaurus was plants, ferns, mosses, cycads and conifers. It is believed that they swallowed their food without chewing. The stegosaurus preferred marshy terrain near water presumably because food was more abundant in such areas.
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Dinosaur:
What Environment Did The Stegosaurus Live In ?
 The stegosaurus was long thought to be native exclusively to North America. But in 2006 a fossilized partial skeleton was found in Portugal while excavating for a motorway. The remains included part of the spinal column, bones, including the thigh bone, dorsal plates and a tooth. Excavation was still underway but what was found was adequate to confirm that the skeleton was in fact that of a stegosaurus. More..
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