Dinosaurs A to Z
Stegosauridae

Thyreosaurus atlasicus

"lizard"

Generic stegosaur body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Thyreosaurus 6 m (19.7 ft) long
as long as 4 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic stegosaur body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Thyreosaurus
Length
6 m (19.7 ft)
Period
Middle Jurassic (174–163 Mya)
Place
Africa · Morocco
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Stegosauridae Dinosauria Ornithischia Thyreophora Stegosauria Stegosaurus and close relatives.

Thyreosaurus is an extinct genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic El Mers III Formation of Morocco. The genus contains a single species, Thyreosaurus atlasicus, known from a partial disarticulated skeleton consisting of several dorsal vertebrae, ribs, a limb bone, and dermal bones. Thyreosaurus is characterized by a unique dermal armor with an asymmetrical texture, indicating that it may have been recumbent. Alongside Adratiklit, Thyreosaurus increases the diversity of unique stegosaurs occurring in the Middle Jurassic of Africa.

What we know

  • Named by Zafaty et al., 2024.
  • Body length estimated at about 6 m.
  • Fossils found in Africa and Morocco.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Thyreosaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.