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Scelidosaurus
Period of life:
198-188 MYA
Era/period:
Jurassic
Habitat:
North Europe
Length:
4
Description
Scelidosaurus (“limb lizard” from Latin) lived about 205 million years ago in the Jurassic period. It was a four limb herbivorous dinosaur of the ornithischian order. Doctor J. Harrison recovered the first skeleton in 1861. Paleontologist Richard Owen gave it a name “limb lizard” in Latin.
The dinosaur's back was well protected by a bone carapace. The reptile was 3.5 metres long and 1800 kilograms weight. Its rather primitive look went back to the ancient thecodonts with similar plates and spikes.
The oral cavity had small conical and leaf shaped cheek teeth types.
Scelidosaurus inhabited bushy islands of the Northern Europe territory. Its feed included ferns and palm style cycadas.
When a lifespan ended, the carcasses were swept to the sea where scientists recovered it million years later. You can now look at the full size skeleton in the British Museum of Natural History.