Dryosaurus
Dryosaurus altus
Pronounced:
DRY - oh - sore - us
Diet:
Herbivore
(Plant-Eater)
Name
Means:
"oak lizard"
Length:
10 feet (3 m)
Height:
5 feet (1.5 m)
Weight:
175 lbs. (80 kilos)
Time:
Late Jurassic - 150
MYA
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found in
Western United States
Far different from
the common view of
dinosaurs, Dryosaurus
had excellent eyesight
and was small, fast, and
agile. A graceful
animal, its only means
of defense was greater
speed than that of
predators. It also may
have lived in herds,
which would have
provided it with early
warning signs when
danger approached. It is
quite likely to have had
nesting behavior and
that it took care of the
hatchlings.
Dryosaurus had large
eyes, a hard horny beak,
long thin legs, and a
stiffened tail to
provide balance. It
appears to have been
closely related to the
Hypsilophodon
ids - small agile
dinosaurs. The fact that
Dryosaurus has some
Iguanodon id
features lead to
confusion in placing it
in the family tree. |
