Scutellosaurus was an extinct genus of ornithischian tyrophorid dinosaur from the Early Jurassic period. In 1971, a nearly complete skeleton was discovered by David Lawler in the Kayenta Formation of Arizona. It was the most primitive known member of the Thyreophora. The name means "small shield lizard" in reference to its heavy armor.
It was a small bipedal dinosaur characterized by the presence of small shields along the back and sides of the body. It had an unusually long tail that served as a counterweight to the weight of the armored body. It had long arms that were usually browsed on all fours. It had hundreds of double rows of osteoderms running from neck to tail, some of which were flat, while others were pitted and served as protection against larger, carnivorous dinosaurs. In addition, it was a very fast runner to escape predators as quickly as possible.
The hind legs were slender and much longer than the front legs. It was a herbivore, meaning it ate only plants. It had leaf-shaped teeth to cut leaves and no cheeks to store its food, so it could have swallowed its food whole.
Scutellosaurus was about 1.2 meters long, 50 centimeters high at the hips, and weighed 10 kilograms.
The name Scutellosaurus means "small shield lizard" in reference to its heavy armor.
Scutellosaurus was a herbivore, meaning it ate only plants. It had leaf-shaped teeth to cut leaves and no cheeks to store its food, so it could have swallowed its food whole.
Scutellosaurus was an extinct genus of ornithischian tyrophorid dinosaur from the Early Jurassic period.
In 1971, a nearly complete skeleton was discovered by David Lawler in the Kayenta Formation of Arizona.
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