Tuojiangosaurus multispinus - Ornithischian Dinosaurs
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(twaw-jyong-oh-sor-uhss)
"Tuojiang Lizard"
Describer Dong, Li, Zhou & Zhang, 1977
Also Known As --
Type of Species multispinus
Order Ornithischia
SubOrder Thyreophora
InfraOrder Stegosauria
Micro-Order --
Family Stegosauridae
Size 23 feet (7 meters) long
Period Late Jurassic, 163 million years ago
Fossilsite Tuo River, China
Diet Herbivore
Tuojiangosaurus is known from a nearly complete skeleton. Tuojiangosaurus had a typical stegosaur skull with an elongated face and spoon-shape teeth. This dinosaur had two rows of triangular plates that spread along the dinosaur's back. These 15 pairs of bony back plates might have offered some protection to the dinosaur. This plates were positioned on its neck, over its shoulders, and all the way down to the middle of its tail.
At the end of its tail this dinosaur displayed four defensive spikes. It is believed that Tuojiangosaurus may have used these spikes to ward off predators that were trying to attack the dinosaur. He may have confronted the predator in a sideways manner, swinging its tail and making its spikes noticed.
