Stegosaurus

Easily one of the best known of all the dinosaurs, Stegosaurus is recognized all the world over. It is the biggest and most famous member of the stegosaur family. It roamed the open plains of the Late Jurassic Period in what is now North America. The 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 any hungry 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. Its brain was once thought to have been the size of a walnut, but CAT-scans proved that it was actually the size of a kitten.

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, perhaps 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 1990s 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 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. The Stegosaurus (its code name "Stego") was a peaceful herbivore, and probably roamed the prehistoric highlands in herds that size from small to large numbers, 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 kitten). The bony plates on its 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. Different species also varied in the number of plates on their backs.

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Creation
Stegosaurus was successfully recreated by InGen in the lab on Isla Sorna. The Stegosaurs were parented and fed in captivity on the island.

The clones were green in color with brown plates exhibiting a paler center. The size of InGen's Stegosaurus varied, some were about 7 meters in length like the species Stegosaurus stenops while others were said to be 12 meters long, which is much larger than Stegosaurus ungulatus, the largest known Stegosaur. InGen may have increased its size to make it more spectacular.

Its name appeared in the Cold Storage Room, so it was probably planned to appear in Phase II of Jurassic Park. It was oddly mislabeled "Stegasaurus" in the storage room.

Isla Nublar Incident (1993)
Stegosaurus was one of the embryos stolen by Dennis Nedry for Lewis Dodgson.

Living in the wild
When Hurricane Clarissa struck Isla Sorna, the InGen personnel left the island. The Stegosaurs were either set free by the workers, broke out on their own or because the storm had damaged fences. Stegosaurus roamed freely across the island. Massive animals, they were some of the largest of the animals on the island.

The Stegosaurs had to learn to live in the wild. Since they no longer received lysine supplements in their food, they started to eat lysine rich plants. It is unknown how many Stegosaurs lived on the island.

Stegosaurus Skirmish
In 1997, the Gatherers encountered a small Stegosaurus herd near a river bed; a pair bond, a subadult. and an infant. Dr. Sarah Harding, who had arrived on Isla Sorna before the rest of her team did, was taking photographs of this herd when the other Gatherers found her. She approached the herd very closely and encountered an infant, Claire, and took pictures of her. When the film of her camera was full it started to make noises. Because of the noise the herd sees Sarah as a threat to their young and start to attack Sarah. She hid in a log nearby, as a male of the herd pursued her and hit the log with his thagomizer.

The herd quickly left soon after the male hit the log with his tail.

Isla Sorna Incident (1997)
Later, Peter Ludlow's hunters captured both an infant and an adult Stegosaurus. It is unknown if the baby Stegosaurus is Claire or an entirely different infant. These stegosaurus were later freed by Gathers Nick Van Owen and Dr. Sarh Harding.

Another herd was present that contained another juvenile that might have been Claire after the Tyrannosaur Buck and Junior had been returned to the island after the San Diego Incident.

Isla Sorna Incident (2001)
Stegosaurs were briefly encountered by Dr. Alan Grant and the Kirby family when they were traveled through one of the rivers of Isla Sorna on the Isla Sorna Aviary's barge where the Stegosaurus lined the river sides.

Jurassic World
Masrani Global Corporation created a new dinosaur zoo on Isla Nublar: Jurassic World. These new clones had a dark tan skin with light olive green. The new cloned Stegosaurus lived in the Cretaceous Cruise, the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo and the Gyropshere Valley.

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Jurassic Park novel
InGen created a herd of four stegosaurs in a territory of Isla Nublar called Stegosaur South. This territory was probably located at the southern tip of the island, in the more volcanic region. Before the InGen Incident two Stegosaurus died from eating  and many fall ill from the plant.

It is shown in the chapter "The Tour" that more stegosaurs, as well as more Triceratops and a new dinosaur called "Coelurosaurus", were going to be hatched for the park from eggs in the hatchery.

The creature is encountered in the chapter "Stegosaurus". Donald Gennaro's inspection team arrives at the location after they had seen the Saurapod Swamp. The team leaves the Land cruisers to inspect a sick stegosaur. The creature is described as: "twenty feet long, with a huge bulky body and vertical armor plates along its back. The tail had dangerous-looking 3 foot spikes. But the neck tapered to an absurdly small head with a stupid gaze, like a very dumb horse". The animal smells and pants for breath, because the current atmosphere has a lower oxygen level (21%) than in Mesozoic times (27%). Alan Grant finds raptor egg fragments within the Stego's range.

Gerry Harding tells the team that the stegosaurs make a fixed route through their territory which takes a week. One 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 s, while they do this they also swallow the berries of the poisonous .

Dennis Nedry stole a Stegosaurus embryo from the Cryo Labs.

When Tim Murphy climbs out of the tree (after the T. rex attack) a Stegosaurus is walking by. The creature behaves/moves like a large tortoise. He describes it as being stupid, and he easily scares it off by throwing a rock.

By the end of the novel, only 1 remains and is seen on one of the monitors fighting with the young Tyrannosaurus rex. The animal was likely killed in the Napalm Bombing.

The Lost World novel
Stegosaurus is first seen by the Site B river with the other dinosaur herds. There is a single, solitary stegosaur that is seen by the river and it is quite possibly the only Stegosaurus that is seen in the entire novel.

After Sarah Harding regained consciousness after pulling herself up onto the shore of Site B, she discovered that a stegosaur had been licking her face as she was unconscious. The stegosaur's dark-blue tongue was rough like sandpaper and its saliva smelled sweet, like fermenting African beer. She had first mistaken it for a horse, it had dull eyes and soft eyelashes, but then she discovered that the head was too narrow and the snout was too tapered. The Stegosaurus, she described, had a small head, a surprisingly thick neck, a huge and heavy lumbering body, with a double row of pentagonal plates running along the crest of the back and a dragging tail with spikes in it. At first, she thought it was a trick or a hoax. Quickly looking for a seam or mechanical motion, she soon found out it was the real creature. The Stegosaurus' skin had a pebbled texture, not scaly like a reptile's, but more like the skin of a rhino or of a hairless warthog. Like Tim Murphy in the first novel, she found it also had a peaceful, but ignorant. She deduced from her observations that the stegosaur was warm-blooded based on its quick movements and purple tongue.


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The Lost World: Jurassic Park video game
Stegosaurus is an enemy in the PSX/Sega Saturn game The Lost World: Jurassic Park. It is encountered in the Tyrannosaurus level.

Trespasser
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 Velociraptor. Stegosaurs are fairly slow when they move, and their only obvious line of defense are the 3-foot-each spikes on the tail.

Unfortunately, the Stegos in the game don't have any real tail-swipe like in the film, but the spikes can damage the player if one gets too close to them.

Warpath: 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.

Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
see Stegosaurus/Operation Genesis

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 A (along with Dryosaurus and Ceratosaurus, just like in the real world. It is based on its appearance in Jurassic Park III. Stegosaurus can also have "Death Duels" with Tyrannosaurus rex, usually coming on top by swinging its spikes on to the T. rex's face, thus killing it. Tyrannosaurus will sometimes come on top by grabbing its neck and twisting it hard, very much like the Tyrannosaurus rex 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. However, for most of the time, T. rex has a bigger chance in defeating Stegosaurus in Death Duel than Ankylosaurus.

Jurassic Park III: Park Builder
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. ..

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

Jurassic Park: Builder
see Stegosaurus/Builder

Stegosaurus is one of the available dinosaurs in the social media game Jurassic Park: Builder. Though it requires dino-dollars purchase.

Jurassic World: The Game
see Stegosaurus/JW: TG

Stegosaurus is a herbivore in "Jurassic World: The Game".

LEGO Jurassic World
Stegosaurus appears in LEGO Jurassic World, in the level InGen Arrival. It is first encountered near the river when Ian, Nick and Eddie are looking for Sarah. Sarah pops up in one of Nick's pictures and gives him a scare. Sarah follows the herd to see the infant. When Sarah photographs the infant with a flashlight the baby and the entire herd is scared and attacks. Sarah and Nick must shelter in a tree trunk, which the Stegosaur attacks with its tail spikes. After this has been repeated three times, the adult walks away with the rest of the herd.

In the Hunter's camp and adult and infant Stegosaur is captured. Nick and Sarah must first release the adult. Then the adult can be used to break the infant's cage and set it free.

Cameos

 * Stegosaurus is an enemy in the Jurassic Park game for NES. It kills you instantly if you walk into it, but does not attack you.
 * Stegosaurus is the 10th dinosaur that appears in Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor.  A swing of its body can create a fierce whirlwind as dangerous as its spiky tail.
 * Stegosaurus is one of the animals on Jurassic Park 3 Danger Zone.

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Stegosaurus appears as a toy in the Jurassic Park Series 1 this figure inaccurately depicts Stegosaurus and The Lost World Series 1 toy line this version is much more movie accurate.
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A Stegosaurus was also going to be made into a figure for the Jurassic Park 2011 toy line featuring a "Dino Damage" skin patch and a whipping tail action similar to The Lost World figure. This figure was later created to be a part of the Jurassic Park 3D toy line, but it too was never released. However, its only appearance is from an image on the back of the toy packages, partially obscured by a blank, yellow sticker.

A small, glass figurine of a Stegosaurus was also released.

Behind the scenes
Stegosaurus was added to the roster of dinosaurs that would appear in early in its development cycle. The reason for the plated dinosaur being in the film was because director Steven Spielberg received literally thousands of letters, many of which came from children, inquiring why Stegosaurus was absent in the first film. Conceptual artist for the dinosaurs for the first three films, Mark "Crash" McCreery had previous expressed in the Jurassic Park Topps trading cards his regret that Stegosaurus was not among the dinosaurs that appeared in Jurassic Park.