Huayangosaurus
Huayangosaurus taibaii
Pronounced:
wah - Yang - o -
Saw - rus
Diet:
Herbivore
(Plant-Eater)
Name Means:
"Sichuan lizard"
Length:
13 feet (4 m)
Height:
4 feet (1.3 m)
Weight:
1,000 pounds
(450 kilos)
Time:
Middle Jurassic
- 165 MYA
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found in China
Huayangosaurus is a very important member of the same family to which Stegosaurus belongs. It is the oldest known member of the stegosaur family and it seems to demonstrate how these dinosaurs evolved the plates along their backs. Huayangosaurus was less than half the size of its later family members.
This dinosaur is
considered one of
the most important
fossils to be
discovered in China.
It is one of only
two stegosaurs to be
found with an
associated skull.
Huayangosaurus
exhibits many
characteristics of
an evolutionarily
transitional
species. The plates
along its back
become more
spike-like the
closer they are to
the tail. This
supports the theory
that stegosaur
plates evolved from
spikes. The skull
and teeth are also
more primitive than
later stegosaurs, as
this species still
had premaxillary
teeth , which
disappeared in later
stegosaurs. |
