Dryosaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dryosaurus |
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| D. altus, Beneski Museum of Natural History | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Suborder: | †Ornithopoda |
| Clade: | †Iguanodontia |
| Genus: | †Dryosaurus Marsh, 1894 |
| Type species | |
| Dryosaurus altus (Marsh, 1878 [originally Laosaurus altus])
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| Other species | |
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Dryosaurus was a small, plant-eating dinosaur that lived in forests. It roamed western North America around 150 million years ago. This was during the Late Jurassic period.
Dryosaurus belongs to a group of dinosaurs called ornithopods. This name means "bird-footed." Its family, the Dryosauridae, were early relatives of the much larger Iguanodons. These dinosaurs lived from the Middle Jurassic to the Lower Cretaceous periods.
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Meet Dryosaurus: The Speedy Plant-Eater
Dryosaurus was a quick and agile dinosaur. It was about 8 to 14 feet (2.5 to 4.3 meters) long. It stood about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall at the hip. Scientists believe it weighed around 200 pounds (90 kilograms).
What Did Dryosaurus Look Like?
This dinosaur walked on two legs. It had a long, stiff tail that helped it balance while running. Its front limbs were short, and it had a small head. The mouth of Dryosaurus ended in a beak, perfect for snipping off plants. It also had small, leaf-shaped teeth inside its cheeks. These teeth were good for grinding tough plant material.
Where Did Dryosaurus Live?
Fossils of Dryosaurus have been found in the famous Morrison Formation. This rock formation is located in the western United States. It includes areas in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. The Morrison Formation tells us that this area was a lush, semi-arid (partly dry) environment. It had rivers, floodplains, and forests. Dryosaurus likely lived alongside other well-known dinosaurs. These included giant long-necked sauropods like Brontosaurus and fierce predators like Allosaurus.
Dryosaurus's Family Tree
Dryosaurus is part of the Dryosauridae family. This group of dinosaurs was quite successful. They lived for a long time, from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. They are considered ancestors or early relatives of later, larger ornithopods. These include dinosaurs like Iguanodon and duck-billed dinosaurs. Studying Dryosaurus helps scientists understand how these plant-eating dinosaurs evolved over millions of years.
How We Know About Dryosaurus
The first Dryosaurus fossils were found in the late 1800s. Othniel Charles Marsh, a famous paleontologist, described them in 1878. He first thought it was a type of Laosaurus. Later, in 1894, he gave it its own name, Dryosaurus. This name means "oak lizard," possibly because of the oak-leaf shape of its teeth or because it lived in forested areas. Many well-preserved skeletons have been found. These fossils help us learn a lot about how Dryosaurus lived and moved.
Images for kids
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Restoration of D. altus
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Pelvis, leg, and tooth of D. altus, 1878 (incorrectly labelled as Laosaurus altus)
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Cast of the D. elderae holotype skull
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D. altus holotype skeleton (front) with Ceratosaurus, Carnegie Museum
See also
In Spanish: Dryosaurus para niños
