Stegosaurus

Easily one of the best known of all the dinosaurs ever, Stegosaurus is recognized the world over. It roamed the open plains of the Late-Jurassic in what is now North America. The unique plates along its back, its small head and spiked tail make it a peculiar and unique dinosaur. This plant-eater evolved to find its food in the low-growing plants of the late Jurassic. The long fearsome spikes on its tail would have made a powerful weapon against predators.

Stegosaurus is often called the dumbest dinosaur because of its incredibly small brain. In fact, most scientists believe that its brain was too small to control such a large creature and that it used an auxiliary "brain" located above its rear legs to help control its movements. This was not actually a brain, but a bundle of nerves that helped relay information from its real brain.

Most fascinating to people are the plates along its back. There has been a great deal of debate about their use and arrangement. The plates were up to 2-feet tall and 2-feet wide (.6 m). The most prevalent theory is that they were used for cooling or heating the animal. A more recent theory, however, suggests that they could have been used as a display during courtship and that they may have been brightly colored. It is also possible that they could move up and down, pe

rhaps to intimidate predators.

The spikes on its tail are also the subjects of some controversy. For years every model of Stegosaurus showed it with the spikes sticking up into the air. It is only since the 1990's that it has become accepted that these spikes stuck out horizontal to the ground, which would have been a potent defensive weapon when swung at a hunter.

Stegosaurus would have lived in family groups and possibly herds, moving slowly through forests while eating the low-growing plants. Its front legs were considerably shorter than its hind legs, making it adapted to nibbling the plants closest to the ground. Stegosaurus is the namesake for a large family of dinosaurs whose members were found all over the world. {C The Stegosaurus (its code name "Stego") was a peaceful herbivore, and probably roamed the prehistoric highlands in small herds, grazing on low ground plants. An average Stegosaurus was about the size of an elephant, standing about 11 feet tall. It had a very low intelligence (its brain was the size of a walnut). The bony plates on it's back may have served a dual purpose of a body temperature regulation, and protection from large flesh-eating predators. Different species had different numbers of tail spikes. For example, Stegosaurus stenops had 4 spikes, Stegosaurus ungulatis had 8 spikes.

More real-life informati

on: Stegosaurus at Wikipedia.

Jurassic Park Series
Stegosaurus appears in the novels of Crichton and in the second and third movie. It also appears in many games, toys and other memorabilia.

Jurassic Park novel
InGen created a herd of 4 Stegosaurs in territory of Isla Nublar called Stegosaur South. This territory was probably located at the south point of the island. Donald Gennaro's inspection team arrives at the location after they have seen the sauropod territory. The team leaves the Land cruisers to inspect a sick Stegosaur. The animal smells and pants for breath, because the current atmosphere has a lower oxygen level (21%) than in Mesozoic times (30%).

Gerry Harding tells the team that the Stegosaurs make a fixed route through their territory which takes a week. Once in six weeks the animals get blisters. The team discovers later that the animals get sick because once in 6 weeks the animals swallow stones which they use as gastroliths, while they do this they also swallow the leaves of the poisonous Melia azedarach.

Dennis Nedry stole a Stegosaurus embryo from the Cryo Labs.

The Lost World novel
When Sarah Harding arrives at Isla Sorna the first dinosaur she encounters is a Stegosaurus. Sarah describes it as looking somewhat like a horse.

Jurassic Park film
The name "Stegasaurus" (A typo, obviously,) was seen next to a vial in the Cold Storage Room, when Dennis Nedry stole some embryos.

The Lost World: Jurassic ParkAngry_stego.jpg
Along with everything els e on Isla Sorna, Stegosaurus roamed freely across the island. Massive animals, they were some of the largest of the animals on the island. Ian Malcolm, Eddie Carr, Nick Van Owen, and Sarah Harding encountered a stegosaur herd near a river bed. Stegosaurus is green in color, plates for brown with paler part in the middle.

Sarah Harding approaches the herd very near. She encounters the infant Stegosaur Claire, and she takes pictures of her. When the film of her camera was full it started to make noises. Because of the noise the herd sees Sarah a

s a threat to their young and start to attack Sarah. Later, Peter Ludlow's hunters captured both an infant and an adult Stegosaur. They appear again near the end of the film migrating across the island.

Stegosaurus stenops in The Lost World was twice bigger (12 m) than its real-life counterpart (8 m) and it was 2 meters longer than Stegosaurus armatus (9, maybe furter fossils can be 10m).

Jurassic Park III
{C Stegosaurs were also briefly encountered near another river where Dr Alan Grant and the Kirby family road a boat through. Stegosaurs lined the river sides.

Jurassic Park inspired gamesJp3-Brachiosaurus.jpg

 * Stegosaurus is an enemy in the Jurassic Park NES game. It kills you instantly if you walk into it, but does not attack you.


 * The remains of a female Stegosaurus (eaten by Compys) is encountered in the arcade game The Lost World: Jurassic Park, level 1. Some Stegosaurus can be seen in the attract mode.

(Image of Stegosaurus from The lost world, removed due to lack of credit to Jurassica.net)
 * Stegosaurus is an enemy of Tyrannosaurus in the PSX game The Lost World: Jurassic Park.


 * Stegosaurus appears in the Audio menu of Warpath: Jurassic Park's Options mode. It oddly used Styracosaurus sound. Stegosaurus is not listed in the museum, either.


 * Stegosaurus can be encountered in Jurassic Park: Trespasser. Contrary to what John Hammond says when you see your first Brachiosaurus, a Stegosaurus is a large herbivore from the Jurassic Period. It can be seen in only a few levels, one of which is level 2, the Jungle Road. In this level, the Stegosaur can be used as an alternative for guns for dealing with a nearby Tribe A Velociraptors. Stegosaurs are fairly slow when they move, and their only obvious line of defense are the 3-foot-each spi
 * kes on the tail.


 * Stegosaurus is the 10th dinosaur that appears in Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor.


 * Stegosaurus also appears in Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis for PS2, PC, and Xbox, as a four-star attraction. Its fossils are found in the Morrison Formation, just like in the real world. It is based on it's appearance in Jurassic Park III. Stegosaurus can also have "Death Duels" with Tyrannosaurus, usually coming on top by swinging its spikes on to the T-rexs face, thus killing it. Tyrannosaurus will sometimes come on top by grabbing its neck and twisting it hard, very much like the Tyrannosaurus and Ankylosaurus death duel. This is possibly a reference to the battle between a Tyrannosaurus and a Stegosaurus in a segment of Walt Disney's Fantasia. It is a friend of Kentrosaurus and moves in herds with them.


 * In Jurassic Park III: Park Builder, Stegosaurus is a herbivore that can be created. It is nr. 62 of the Herbivore Threes. A Mini Stegosaurus is also nr. 63 of the Herbivore Ones.



Jurassic Park toy lines
Stegosaurus appears as a toy in the Jurassic Park Series 1 and The Lost World Series 1 toy line.

Theme parks
A pair of Stegosaurus is seen in the Jurassic Park: River Adventure ride.