Thyreophora
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The Thyreophora ("shield bearers", often known simply as "armored dinosaurs", were armored herbivorous dinosaurs, living from the early Jurassic until the end of the Cretaceous. They were characterized by the presence of body armor lined up in longitudinal rows along the body. Most thyreophorans had relatively small brains for their body size.
Thyreophorans include well-known suborders such as the Ankylosauria and Stegosauria as well as lesser-known groups. For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Dinosauria |
Scelidosaurus |
The Stegosauria are a group of herbivorous dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous Periods, being found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere, predominantly in what is now North America and China. All stegosaurs have rows of special bones, called osteoderms, which develop into plates and spines along the back and tail (forming the so-called "thagomizer"). Many also have intermediate spines, called 'splates'.
For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. | ||
Dacentrurus | Gigantspinosaurus | Huayangosaurus |
Kentrosaurus | Lexovisaurus | Miragaia |
Stegosaurus | Tuojiangosaurus | Wuerhosaurus |
Australian stegosaur |
Ankylosauria includes the great majority of dinosaurs with armor in the form of bony osteoderms. Ankylosaurs were bulky quadrupeds, with short, powerful limbs. They are first known to have appeared in the early Jurassic Period of China, and persisted until the end of the Cretaceous Period. They have been found on every continent except Africa. They had small, triangular teeth that were loosely packed, similar to stegosaurs. The large hyoid bones left in skeletons indicates that they had long, flexible tongues. They also had a large, side secondary palate. This means that they could breathe while chewing, unlike crocodiles.
For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. | ||
Acanthopholis | Ankylosaurus | Borealopelta |
Edmontonia | Euoplocephalus | Gastonia |
Hylaeosaurus | Jinyunpelta | Minmi |
Palaeoscincus | Panoplosaurus | Pinacosaurus |
Polacanthus | Saichania | Sauropelta |
Scolosaurus | Stegouros | Tarchia |
Zhejiangosaurus |