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Known colloquially as stegosaurs, the Stegosauria are a group of herbivorous
Herbivore

Herbivory is a form of predation in which an organism, known as an herbivore, heterotrophs principally autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria....
 dinosaur
Dinosaur

Dinosaurs were the dominant vertebrate animals of Landform ecosystems for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic Period until the end of the Cretaceous Period , when most of them became extinct in the Cretaceous?Tertiary extinction event....
s of the Jurassic
Jurassic

The Jurassic is a geologic period that extends from about annum to  Ma, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous....
 and Early Cretaceous
Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
 Periods, being found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator....
, predominantly in what is now North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. Their geographical origins are unclear; the earliest stegosaurs have been found in China, although fragmentary material hails from southern England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
.

The genus Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus is a genus of Stegosauria Thyreophora dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well....
, from which the group acquires its name, is by far the most famous stegosaurian.

stegosaurs have rows of special bones, called osteoderm
Osteoderm

Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates or other structures in the dermal layers of the skin. Osteoderms are found in many groups of Extant taxon and extinct reptiles, including lizards, various groups of dinosaurs , crocodylians, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, placodonts, and Nanchangosaurus ....
s, which develop into plates and spines along the back and tail (forming the so-called "thagomizer
Thagomizer

The thagomizer, or tail spikes, is an arrangement of four to ten spikes on the tails of particular dinosaurs of the cladistics Stegosauria, of which Stegosaurus stenops is the most familiar....
").






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Known colloquially as stegosaurs, the Stegosauria are a group of herbivorous
Herbivore

Herbivory is a form of predation in which an organism, known as an herbivore, heterotrophs principally autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria....
 dinosaur
Dinosaur

Dinosaurs were the dominant vertebrate animals of Landform ecosystems for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic Period until the end of the Cretaceous Period , when most of them became extinct in the Cretaceous?Tertiary extinction event....
s of the Jurassic
Jurassic

The Jurassic is a geologic period that extends from about annum to  Ma, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous....
 and Early Cretaceous
Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
 Periods, being found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator....
, predominantly in what is now North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. Their geographical origins are unclear; the earliest stegosaurs have been found in China, although fragmentary material hails from southern England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
.

The genus Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus is a genus of Stegosauria Thyreophora dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well....
, from which the group acquires its name, is by far the most famous stegosaurian.

Paleobiology

All stegosaurs have rows of special bones, called osteoderm
Osteoderm

Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates or other structures in the dermal layers of the skin. Osteoderms are found in many groups of Extant taxon and extinct reptiles, including lizards, various groups of dinosaurs , crocodylians, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, placodonts, and Nanchangosaurus ....
s, which develop into plates and spines along the back and tail (forming the so-called "thagomizer
Thagomizer

The thagomizer, or tail spikes, is an arrangement of four to ten spikes on the tails of particular dinosaurs of the cladistics Stegosauria, of which Stegosaurus stenops is the most familiar....
"). Many also have intermediate ones, called 'splates'.

Skull

They had characteristic long, narrow heads and a horn-covered beak or rhamphotheca
Beak

The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which, in addition to eating, is used for Personal grooming#In animals, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, Courtship#Courtship in the animal kingdom and feeding their young....
, which covered the front of the upper jaw (premaxillary) and lower jaw (predentary) bones. Similar structures are seen in turtles and birds. Apart from Huayangosaurus
Huayangosaurus

Huayangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. The name derives from "Huayang", an alternate name for Sichuan , and "saurus", meaning "lizard"....
, stegosaurs subsequently lost nearby premaxillary teeth.

Posture

All are quadruped
Quadruped

Quadrupedalism is a form of Terrestrial locomotion in animals using four limbs or leg . An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet" ....
al, with hoof-like toes on all four limbs. All stegosaurians after Huayangosaurus
Huayangosaurus

Huayangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. The name derives from "Huayang", an alternate name for Sichuan , and "saurus", meaning "lizard"....
 have forelimbs much shorter than their hindlimbs. Given that their speed would have been limited by their shortest limb and their size is likely to have precluded them from being bipedal, this suggests that they were not able to run quickly.

Taxonomy

The Stegosauria was originally named as an order within Reptilia by O.C. Marsh
Othniel Charles Marsh

Othniel Charles Marsh was one of the pre-eminent paleontologists of the 19th century, who discovered and named many fossils found in the American West....
 in 1877, although today it is generally treated as an infraorder or suborder (or simply a clade
Clade

A clade is a term used in modern alpha taxonomy, the scientific classification of living and fossil organisms, to describe a monophyletic group, defined as a group consisting of a single common ancestor and all its descendants.The term "monophyletic group" is used in this article in the conventional sense of "an a...
) within Thyreophora
Thyreophora

The Thyreophora were a subgroup of the ornithischian dinosaurs. They were Armour herbivorous dinosaurs, living from the early Jurassic until the end of the Cretaceous....
, the armored
Armour (zoology)

Armour in animals is external or superficial protection against attack by predators, formed as part of the body , usually through the hardening of body tissues, outgrowths or secretions....
 dinosaur
Dinosaur

Dinosaurs were the dominant vertebrate animals of Landform ecosystems for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic Period until the end of the Cretaceous Period , when most of them became extinct in the Cretaceous?Tertiary extinction event....
s. It includes the families Huayangosauridae and Stegosauridae.

The Huayangosauridae were an early family of stegosaurs
Stegosauria

Known colloquially as stegosaurs, the Stegosauria are a group of Herbivore dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous Period , being found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere, predominantly in what is now North America and China....
 which lived during the early to middle Jurassic
Jurassic

The Jurassic is a geologic period that extends from about annum to  Ma, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous....
 Period. In general, they were smaller than later stegosaurs and had shorter and higher skulls. Currently, the only confirmed genus included is the type genus Huayangosaurus
Huayangosaurus

Huayangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. The name derives from "Huayang", an alternate name for Sichuan , and "saurus", meaning "lizard"....
 of China. The poorly-known remains of Regnosaurus
Regnosaurus

Regnosaurus is a genus of herbivorous stegosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period in what is now England....
 from England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, however, indicate it too could be a member. Its lower jaw is very similar to the former.

The vast majority of Stegosaurian dinosaurs thus far recovered being to the Stegosauridae, which lived in the later part of the Jurassic and early Cretaceous. It includes the well-known Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus is a genus of Stegosauria Thyreophora dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well....
. The family is widespread, with members across the Northern Hemisphere and Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
.

Classification

Fieldmuseum5 Chicago
Following is a list of stegosaurian genera by classification and location:

Suborder Thyreophora
Thyreophora

The Thyreophora were a subgroup of the ornithischian dinosaurs. They were Armour herbivorous dinosaurs, living from the early Jurassic until the end of the Cretaceous....


Infraorder Stegosauria
  • Gigantspinosaurus
    Gigantspinosaurus

    Gigantspinosaurus is a genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic. It was a stegosaur found in the Upper Shaximiao Formation of Zigong, Sichuan, People's Republic of China, and is known from a partial skeleton missing the skull , hind feet, and tail....
  • Family Huayangosauridae
    • Huayangosaurus
      Huayangosaurus

      Huayangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. The name derives from "Huayang", an alternate name for Sichuan , and "saurus", meaning "lizard"....
       (Sichuan
      Sichuan

      is a Province in western China proper with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, ?? , is an abbreviation of ??? , or "Four circuit #Circuits in East Asia of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from ???? , or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the existing circuit into four during the Song...
      ,China
      China

      China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
      )
    • ?Regnosaurus
      Regnosaurus

      Regnosaurus is a genus of herbivorous stegosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period in what is now England....
       (Sussex
      Sussex

      Sussex , from the Old English Su?seaxe , is a Historic counties of England in South East England England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex....
      , United Kingdom
      United Kingdom

      The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
      )
  • Family Stegosauridae
    • Paranthodon
      Paranthodon

      Paranthodon was a dinosaur from the middle of the Cretaceous. It lived in what is now South Africa. It is classified as a stegosaur. The type species, Paranthodon africanus, comes from a partial skull first described as Palaeoscincus africanus in 1912....
       - (South Africa
      South Africa

      The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
      )
    • Monkonosaurus
      Monkonosaurus

      Monkonosaurus is the name given to a genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic . It was a stegosaur which lived in what is now Tibet. The type species specimen, Monkonosaurus lawulacus was formalized by Zhao in 1983, but is based only on one partial skeleton....
       - (Tibet
      Tibet

      Tibet is a Tibetan Plateau in Asia, north of the Himalayas, and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people and its related ethnic groups. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres , it is the highest region on Earth and has in recent decades increasingly been referred to as the "Roof of the World"....
      , China
      China

      China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
      )
    • Chungkingosaurus
      Chungkingosaurus

      Chungkingosaurus, meaning "Chongqing Lizard", is a genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic-age Upper Shaximiao Formation in what is now China....
       - (Chongqing
      Chongqing

      Chongqing is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China's four provinces of China-level municipality of China, and the only one in the less densely populated western region of China....
      , China
      China

      China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
      )
    • Chialingosaurus
      Chialingosaurus

      Chialingosaurus is a genus of stegosaur similar to Kentrosaurus from the Upper Shaximiao Formation, Late Jurassic beds in Sichuan Province in China....
       - (Sichuan
      Sichuan

      is a Province in western China proper with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, ?? , is an abbreviation of ??? , or "Four circuit #Circuits in East Asia of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from ???? , or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the existing circuit into four during the Song...
      , China
      China

      China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
      )
    • Wuerhosaurus
      Wuerhosaurus

      Wuerhosaurus is a genus of Stegosauria dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of People's Republic of China. It was a broad bodied animal roughly 6 metres long ....
       - (Xinjiang
      Xinjiang

      Xinjiang is an autonomous region of China of the People's Republic of China. It is a large, sparsely populated area, spanning over 1.6 million sq....
      , Western China
      China

      China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
      )
    • Hesperosaurus
      Hesperosaurus

      Hesperosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur from the Kimmeridgian to Tithonian epochs of the Jurassic period , whose fossils are found in the state of Wyoming in the United States....
       - (Wyoming
      Wyoming

      The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated U.S. state in the Northwestern United States of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains ....
      , USA)
    • Dacentrurus
      Dacentrurus

      Dacentrurus , originally known as Omosaurus, was a large Stegosauria of the late Jurassic Period . This dinosaur measured around 6 - 10 m in length....
       - (United Kingdom
      United Kingdom

      The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
      , France
      France

      France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
       & Spain
      Spain

      Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
      )
    • Miragaia
      Miragaia (dinosaur)

      Miragaia is a genus of stegosauridae dinosaur. Its fossils have been found in Upper Jurassic rocks in Portugal. Miragaia is notable for its long neck, which included at least 17 vertebrae....
       - (Portugal
      Portugal

      Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
      )
    • Subfamily Stegosaurinae
      • Tuojiangosaurus
        Tuojiangosaurus

        Tuojiangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period , recovered from the Upper Shaximiao Formation of what is now Sichuan Province in China....
         - (Sichuan
        Sichuan

        is a Province in western China proper with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, ?? , is an abbreviation of ??? , or "Four circuit #Circuits in East Asia of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from ???? , or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the existing circuit into four during the Song...
        , China
        China

        China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
        )
      • Kentrosaurus
        Kentrosaurus

        Kentrosaurus is a genus of stegosauria dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of Tanzania, related to the better-known Stegosaurus of North America....
         - (Tanzania
        Tanzania

        Tanzania , officially the United Republic of Tanzania , is a country in East Africa that is bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south....
        , Africa)
      • Lexovisaurus
        Lexovisaurus

        Lexovisaurus was one of the first dinosaurs from mid-to-Late Jurassic Europe, 165 mya to be discovered. It was a stegosaur. Its fossils have been found in France and northern England....
         (=Loricatosaurus
        Loricatosaurus

        Loricatosaurus is a genus of stegosauridae dinosaur from Callovian-age rocks of England and France. It is known from remains previously assigned to Lexovisaurus; however, upon review of the material, Susannah Maidment and colleagues determined that Lexovisaurus was based upon nondiagnostic remains, and coined a new genus for th...
        ) - (United Kingdom
        United Kingdom

        The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
         & France
        France

        France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
        )
      • Stegosaurus
        Stegosaurus

        Stegosaurus is a genus of Stegosauria Thyreophora dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well....
         - (Wyoming
        Wyoming

        The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated U.S. state in the Northwestern United States of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains ....
        , USA)
    • Uncertain placement (incertae sedis)
      • ?Craterosaurus
        Craterosaurus

        Craterosaurus was a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur. It lived during the Early Cretaceous around 125-140 Mya . Its fossils were found in England....
         - (Bedfordshire
        Bedfordshire

        Bedfordshire is a county in England that forms part of the East of England Regions of England.Its county town is Bedford, Bedfordshire. It borders Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire....
        , England)
      • Jiangjunosaurus
        Jiangjunosaurus

        Jiangjunosaurus is a genus of stegosauridae dinosaur from the Oxfordian stage-age Shishugou Formation of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China....
         - (Xinjiang
        Xinjiang

        Xinjiang is an autonomous region of China of the People's Republic of China. It is a large, sparsely populated area, spanning over 1.6 million sq....
        , Western China
        China

        China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
        )


Phylogeny

Kenneth Carpenter
Kenneth Carpenter

Kenneth Carpenter is a Paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and author or co-author of a number of books on dinosaurs and Mesozoic life....
 of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Denver Museum of Nature and Science

The Denver Museum Of Nature and Science is the main natural history museum in Denver, Colorado. Home to a number of exhibits, the museum focuses on research and education of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area....
 published a preliminary phyletic tree of stegosaurs, in the 2001 description of Hesperosaurus. Here, the basal stegosaur Huayangosaurus is used as the outgroup. The Stegosauridae are then defined as all stegosaurs closer to Stegosaurus than to Huayangosaurus. The position of Chungkingosaurus is uncertain due to lack of data.

Stegosauria |--Huayangosaurus `--Stegosauridae `--+-?Chungkingosaurus
Chungkingosaurus

Chungkingosaurus, meaning "Chongqing Lizard", is a genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic-age Upper Shaximiao Formation in what is now China....
 `--+--Chialingosaurus
Chialingosaurus

Chialingosaurus is a genus of stegosaur similar to Kentrosaurus from the Upper Shaximiao Formation, Late Jurassic beds in Sichuan Province in China....
 `--+--+--Wuerhosaurus
Wuerhosaurus

Wuerhosaurus is a genus of Stegosauria dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of People's Republic of China. It was a broad bodied animal roughly 6 metres long ....
 | `--+--Dacentrurus
Dacentrurus

Dacentrurus , originally known as Omosaurus, was a large Stegosauria of the late Jurassic Period . This dinosaur measured around 6 - 10 m in length....
 | `--Hesperosaurus
Hesperosaurus

Hesperosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur from the Kimmeridgian to Tithonian epochs of the Jurassic period , whose fossils are found in the state of Wyoming in the United States....
 `--+--Tuojiangosaurus
Tuojiangosaurus

Tuojiangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period , recovered from the Upper Shaximiao Formation of what is now Sichuan Province in China....
 `--+--+--Kentrosaurus
Kentrosaurus

Kentrosaurus is a genus of stegosauria dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of Tanzania, related to the better-known Stegosaurus of North America....
  | `--Lexovisaurus
Lexovisaurus

Lexovisaurus was one of the first dinosaurs from mid-to-Late Jurassic Europe, 165 mya to be discovered. It was a stegosaur. Its fossils have been found in France and northern England....
 `--+--Stegosaurus stenops
Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus is a genus of Stegosauria Thyreophora dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well....
 `--S. ungulatus (=?S. armatus)

Undescribed species

To date, several genera from China bearing names have not been formally described, including "Changdusaurus
Changdusaurus

"Changdusaurus" is the informal name given to a genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period. It lived in what is now present-day China. "Changdusaurus" is classified as a stegosaurid....
" and "Yingshanosaurus
Yingshanosaurus

"Yingshanosaurus" is the nomen nudum given to a genus of quadrupedal dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, around 150 million years ago. It was a stegosaurian which lived in what is now People's Republic of China....
". Until formal descriptions are published, these genera are regarded as nomina nuda
Nomen nudum

The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin language term, meaning "naked name". In taxonomy, this is used to indicate a term or phrase which looks like a scientific name, and may well have been intended to become a scientific name, but fails to be one because it was not published with an adequate description , and thus is "bare" or "naked"....
.

External links