Stegosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic period around 155–145 million years ago. It is the largest and most famous known member of the Stegosaurs, an aptly-named race of armored dinosaurs known for their body plates and spikes.
Stegosaurus is one of many fauna in The Rite of Spring segment. It is unusually mixed in alongside species of the Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. When the Tyrannosaurus rex first makes its appearance, the Stegosaurus is shocked like the many of them. As the T. rex lunges for the herbivores, the Stegosaurus attempts an escape, but is slow in getting away from the dangerous predator and resorts to fighting the T. rex in an effort to save its own life. However, the battle comes to an end with the T. rex emerging victorious. The carnivore then proceeds to eat the fallen herbivore as the scene becomes quiet and fades to black.
Later, other Stegosaurus appear in the group of dinosaurs marching through the drought. Some are trapped in a muddy pit with Apatosaurus and Diplodocus then they are killed by heat exhaustion and attacked by a group of desperately hungry Ceratosaurus.
Stegosaurus appears in both the Primeval World diorama on the Disneyland Railroad and in the Universe of Energy at Epcot. In both attractions, the fight with the Tyrannosaurus is recreated, although in Universe of Energy, the Tyrannosaurus is replaced by an Allosaurus.
Trivia[]
In Fantasia, Stegosaurus was depicted as a sluggish animal, with its legs sprawling and tail dragging along the ground. In real life, Stegosaurus had its legs tucked underneath its body and its tail held far off the ground.
The Stegosaurus and its Stegosauridae relatives never coexisted with the Tyrannosaurus rex, as they lived during different time periods spanning millions of years apart. The carnivorous theropods of that time were instead the Allosaurus, Saurophaganax, Ceratosaurus, and Torvosaurus.
Stegosaurus has been found in both North America and Portugal; during the Jurassic Era, Portugal was a large island off the coast of North America, which allowed larger dinosaurs to colonize it.
Despite its intelligent portrayal as a leader of a herd of herbivores, Stegosaurus has one of the smallest brains of any non-avian dinosaur proportionate to body size.
The tail spikes of Stegosaurus (also known as thagomizers) would measure approximately 1 meter in length. Although its purpose is debated, evidence exists that they were used for defense. Fatal wounds have been found in Allosaurus skeletons that fit the tail spikes of Stegosaurus. This indicates Stegosaurus' flexible tail was able to move the tail spikes quickly to defend itself from carnivores. The structures may have also served as a form of display for species differentiation.
Despite their great size, Stegosaurus' backplates were actually quite delicate; they were thin, full of blood vessels and covered in keratin (found in nails and hair as well as claws and horns). At one time, they were assumed to be used for warming up or cooling the animal down. They were probably more for display and species recognition than heat regulation or defense.
According to a 2014–2015 study with S. Mjosi specimens, the backplates of some Stegosaurs were found to be round. These were attributed to being a male trait. The stereotypical pointed plates of Stegosaurs that most people are familiar with may have been a predominantly female trait.
Gallery[]
A Stegosaurus is about to look at the arrival of the Tyrannosaurus rex.
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