Plateosaurus
Plateosaurus engelhardti
Pronounced: Plate - e
- o - Saw - rus
Diet: Herbivore
(Plant-Eater)
Name Means: "flat
lizard"
Length: 18 to 30 feet
(6 m to 10 m)
Height: up to 10 feet
(3 m)
Weight: up to 1500
pounds (700 kilos)
Time: Jurassic
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found in Europe
Plateosaurus is the earliest known member of the
huge plant-eating, sauropod (long-neck) dinosaur
family. These include all the great long-necked
dinosaurs like
Brachiosaurus Diplodocus and
Mamenchisaurus Compared to these huge
monsters Plateosaurus was small, but it was a giant
compared to the other early dinosaurs.
Unlike its later relatives, Plateosaurus
probably spent some time on its hind legs.
These back legs were quite a bit stronger
and larger than its front legs, which would
have enabled it to rear up to get food or to
defend itself. It had a large, sharp claw on
each had that would have made a formidable
weapon. Plateosaurus also shows the
characteristics that became so pronounced in
later sauropods - a long neck, long tail for
balancing, and great size. Its teeth were
all the same size and shape - small and
pointy. Bone ridges around its mouth
indicate that it likely had cheek pouches
that would have enabled it to keep gathering
food into its mouth while it chewed.
Like
Coelophysis a great many
Plateosaurus skeletons were discovered in
one location, possibly the result of some
local catastrophic event such as a flash
flood. This has given scientists a good
picture of the individual variations of this
dinosaur.
Recently, some scientists are classifying
the prosauropods, including Plateosaurus, as
a separate group of creatures and not simply
as the ancestors of the later Jurassic
sauropods. |
