Name:
Dacentrurus (Greek for "very pointy tail"); pronounced DAH-sen-TRUE-russ
Habitat:
Woodlands of western Europe
Historical Period:
Late Jurassic (160-150 million year ago)
Size and Weight:
About 30 feet long and two tons
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Large size; triangular plates along spine
About Dacentrurus:
Although Stegosaurus is the poster genus, Dacentrurus was actually the first stegosaur ever to be completely described, by the famous paleontologist Richard Owen in 1875 (Owen originally named the specimen Omosaurus, which turned out to have been assigned to another ancient reptile). Based on its numerous fossil remains, which have been found all over western Europe, Dacentrurus appears to have been a larger-than-average stegosaur, with long, skinny front legs and a relatively low build. Like other stegosaurs, it was probably a low browser, subsisting on the vegetation covering the forest floor.
