Dryosaurus dreyeuh-SƆːRUHS

"tree lizard"

You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Dryosaurus 3 m (9.8 ft) long
2 people holding hands
Length
3 m (9.8 ft)
Period
Late Jurassic (155–145 Mya)
Place
Asia · Gondwana · United States · Utah, USA
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Dryosauridae

Dryosaurus ( , meaning ‘tree lizard’, Greek δρῦς (drys) meaning ‘tree, oak’ and σαυρος (sauros) meaning ‘lizard’ (the name reflects the forested habitat, not a vague oak-leaf shape of its cheek teeth as is sometimes assumed)) is an extinct genus of herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur that lived in the Late Jurassic period. It was an iguanodont (formerly classified as a hypsilophodont). Fossils have been found in the western United States and were first discovered in the late 19th century. Valdosaurus canaliculatus and Dysalotosaurus lettowvorbecki were both formerly considered to represent species of Dryosaurus.

What we know

  • Named by Marsh, 1894.
  • Body length estimated at about 3 m.
  • Fossils found in Asia and Gondwana.