Name:
Camptosaurus (Greek for "bent lizard"); pronounced CAMP-toe-SORE-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of North America
Historical Period:
Late Jurassic (155-145 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 20 feet long; weight unknown
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Four toes on back feet; long, narrow snout with hundreds of teeth
About Camptosaurus:
The Golden Age of Dinosaurs, which spanned the mid-to-late nineteenth century, was also the Golden Age of Dinosaur Confusion. Because Camptosaurus was one of the earliest ornithopods discovered, it suffered the fate of having more species pushed under its umbrella than could comfortably fit. For this reason, it's now believed that only one identified species is a true Camptosaurus; the others may well be Iguanodons (which lived much later, during the Cretaceous period).
At any rate, the genuine Camptosaurus (which lived in North America) was a relatively large, long-tailed plant-eater that may have been capable of running on two feet when startled (though it almost certainly browsed for vegetation in the quadrupedal position).
