Thyreosaurus atlasicus Thyreosaurus
"lizard"
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Thyreosaurus 6 m (19.7 ft) long
4 people holding hands
- Length
- 6 m (19.7 ft)
- Period
- Middle Jurassic (174–163 Mya)
- Place
- Africa · Morocco
- Food
- Herbivore
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.