Classification: Dinosauria – Ornithischia – Thyreophora – Stegosauria – Stegosauridae – Dacentrurinae
Time Period: Late Jurassic
Location: Europe
Diet: Herbivore
The stegosaur Dacentrurus was initially discovered in England, though fragmentary remains have been found in France, Spain, and Portugal (in which fossilized eggs are attributed to Dacentrurus), indicating a wide distribution among the islands and archipelagos of northeastern Laurasia. We know that stegosaurs were regularly attacked by large theropods in North America (Stegosaurus and Allosaurus had a long-running feud), and it’s believed that Dacentrurus faced similar opposition on its own turf; however, the precise identity of its larger theropod assailants is unknown, as the larger European theropods of the Jurassic date back to the Early and Middle Jurassic (such as Dubreuillosaurus and Poekilopleuron). If the Oxfordian theropod Metriacanthosaurus continued into the Kimmeridgian, it's likely it and Dacentrurus duked it out a time or two. This stegosaur was initially named Omosaurus, but since that name had already been given to a species of extinct crocodile, the name was changed to Dacentrurus.
Dacentrurus was a large, heavily-built stegosaur that grew up to thirty-two feet in length and clocked in around five and a half tons. It had a broad gut and a massive rump. Its hind-limbs were short, but the forelimbs were long; thus Dacentrurus had the same general proportions as its North American cousin Stegosaurus, though their ‘plate armor’ was different. Dacentrurus had eight pairs of triangular plates that ran from the neck to the end of the hip; these ‘double-rowed’ plates were followed by four pairs of large spikes that ran down to the thagomizer. Dacentrurus’ stagomizer consisted of four more pairs of spikes that pointed to the side, and these tail spikes had sharp cutting edges on the front and rear sides. The arrangement of ‘plate and spike’ armor is reminiscent of its African cousin Kentrosaurus. Though Dacentrurus is often portrayed with a spike growing near the shoulder, this is artistic license based upon the fact that many primitive stegosaurs – i.e. those that had a mix of both plates and spikes – employed such shoulder spikes.
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| a Dacentrurus defends against a Ceratosaurus (never mind these two likely didn't coexist!) |
Dacentrurus was a large, heavily-built stegosaur that grew up to thirty-two feet in length and clocked in around five and a half tons. It had a broad gut and a massive rump. Its hind-limbs were short, but the forelimbs were long; thus Dacentrurus had the same general proportions as its North American cousin Stegosaurus, though their ‘plate armor’ was different. Dacentrurus had eight pairs of triangular plates that ran from the neck to the end of the hip; these ‘double-rowed’ plates were followed by four pairs of large spikes that ran down to the thagomizer. Dacentrurus’ stagomizer consisted of four more pairs of spikes that pointed to the side, and these tail spikes had sharp cutting edges on the front and rear sides. The arrangement of ‘plate and spike’ armor is reminiscent of its African cousin Kentrosaurus. Though Dacentrurus is often portrayed with a spike growing near the shoulder, this is artistic license based upon the fact that many primitive stegosaurs – i.e. those that had a mix of both plates and spikes – employed such shoulder spikes.
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