Hannahyr3OLMC

= =



//Stegosaurus// was a herbivorous "bird-hipped" dinosaur. It had four sturdy legs and a line of plates running down its back. Its back legs were considerably longer and straighter than its front ones and it had a powerful beaked mouth for cropping vegetation. For defence it used its formidable tail - a short and muscular weapon equipped with four 1 metre long spikes. It also had a series of bones under its neck that acted like chain mail to protect its throat.The role of the plates is unclear with theories that they were used as armour, as a form of heat control or for display. Palaeontologists now think they were used for display - both for putting off attackers and for attracting a mate.