Name:
Dryosaurus (Greek for "oak lizard"); pronounced DRY-oh-SORE-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of Africa and North America
Historical Period:
Late Jurassic (155-145 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 10 feet long and 200 pounds
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Long neck; five-fingered hands; stiff tail
About Dryosaurus:
In most ways, Dryosaurus (its name, "oak lizard," refers to the oak-leaf-like shape of some of its teeth) was a plain-vanilla ornithopod, with its small size, bipedal posture, stiff tail and five-fingered hands. Like all ornithopods, Dryosaurus probably lived in herds, and may have raised its young at least halfway (at least for a year or two after they hatched). Dryosaurus also had especially large eyes, which raises the possibility that it was a smidgen more intelligent than other dinosaurs of the late Jurassic.
