Kentrosaurus

Kentrosaurus is a particularly spiky stegosaurid. Its plates are narrows, arranged in pairs, and posteriorly become spikes that blend into the thagomizer. It also has a long spike on each shoulder. A fairly average stegosaur, it was a medium-small herbivore with a small head and short forelimbs.

Kentrosaurus' neck is long and flexible. Its tail is flexible enough to turn a full 180 degrees(!) and swing hard enough to break the leg bones of potential predators. Its center of mass is relatively far back, allowing it to rear on its hind lengs to feed on higher-growing plants.

We have two Kentrosaurus that live in the Gladiators of the Mesozoic exhibit.

Scientific name
Kentrosaurus aethiopicus

Location
Tendaguru Formation
Lindi, Tanzania

Time
155-150 Ma; Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian)

Length
4.5 meters (15 feet)

Diet
Mostly low-level plants