Kentrosaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids KentrosaurusTemporal range: Upper Jurassic
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Kentrosaurus
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Kentrosaurus was a type of stegosaur dinosaur. It lived during the Late Jurassic period in what is now Tanzania, Africa. A German scientist named Edwin Hennig first described this dinosaur in 1915.
Scientists have found Kentrosaurus fossils only in the Tendaguru Formation. These fossils are about 152 million years ago old! German teams dug up hundreds of bones between 1909 and 1912. Even though no full skeletons were found, these bones helped scientists understand what Kentrosaurus looked like.
What Did Kentrosaurus Look Like?
Kentrosaurus was a smaller stegosaur. It had a body shape typical for many dinosaurs. This included a small head, a long neck, and a long, strong tail. Its front legs were shorter than its back legs.
As an adult, Kentrosaurus was about 4.5 metres (15 ft) long. It weighed around one tonne (1.1 tons), which is like a small car! It walked on all four legs, with its back legs held straight.
This dinosaur had a small, long head. It had a beak without teeth, which it used to bite off plants. These plants would then be digested in its large stomach.
Kentrosaurus had a double row of small, flat plates along its neck and back. These plates slowly changed into spikes further down its body. The longest spikes were on its tail. These tail spikes were likely used to defend itself from predators. It also had a long spike on each shoulder.
Here are some quick facts about Kentrosaurus:
- It was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants.
- It had a very small head and a tiny brain.
- It had a toothless beak for eating plants.
- It had two rows of bony plates from its neck to its middle back.
- It had two rows of spikes from its middle back to the tip of its tail.
- It also had a pair of spikes on its shoulders.
- It walked on four legs, but its back legs were longer than its front legs.
Images for kids
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An older skeleton display at the Museum für Naturkunde. This display was set up in 1925 and changed in 2007.
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Models of the brain and a nerve center (ganglion) from the Museum of Paleontology of Tübingen.
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A side view of a Kentrosaurus skeleton on display in Berlin.
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A partial skeleton found at the Kindope excavation site in Tanzania.
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A model of the tail spikes (thagomizer) at the Museum of Palaeontology of Tübingen.
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The tail spikes (thagomizer) on the skeleton display in Berlin.
See also
In Spanish: Kentrosaurus aethiopicus para niños
