What were stegosaurs?

 

                            Stegosaurs were related to the ankylosaurs. They were plant – eaters, and most of them were large. Stegosaurs all had extremely small brains, and had to develop a mass of nerve tissue near the base of their spine to help control the movement of their hind limbs. Their appearance was extraordinary, because they had two lines of very large bony plates standing on end all the way down their back. In addition, stegosaurs had long spikes on the tail, which might have been used in defence. Various bony plates were studded about the vulnerable parts of their body.  Although most stegosaurs were very large, there were other types about the size of a small pony.

How did stegosaurs use their armour?

                             Scientists cannot agree on the function of the plates on the back of the Stegosaurus and its relatives. Some people think that they were used in display to rival animals, while others believe that they helped to regulate body temperature. Fossils show that there was a rich blood supply to these parts of the body. When it turned sideways to face the Sun, the stegosaur’s body would have been heated up by the Sun’s rays. When it turned itself edgeways to the Sun, the stegosaur’s body would have cooled down as a result of the increased heat loss. It has even been suggested that the plates could have folded flat to make a sheet of armour over the animal’s back.

Picture credit: google