252 to 66 million years ago

Stegosaurus - “The Plated Lizard”

With its double row of towering bony plates and fearsome spiked tail, Stegosaurus is one of the most iconic dinosaurs ever discovered. It lived during the Jurassic Period, around 150 million years ago, and roamed what is now North America.

Despite its dramatic armour, Stegosaurus was a slow-moving herbivore, grazing on ferns and low-lying plants with a beak-like mouth and small, leaf-shaped teeth. Its brain was famously small, roughly the size of a walnut, but its body stretched up to 9 metres long, making it a true giant of its time.

Its tail spikes, known as a “thagomizer” (a playful term coined by cartoonist Gary Larson and now used by paleontologists), were likely used to defend against predators like Allosaurus. The purpose of its plates is still debated, they may have helped with thermoregulation, species recognition, or intimidation.

Stegosaurus reminds us that even the slow and steady had a place in the prehistoric world, and that nature’s armoury came in many forms.