Plateosaurus

Plateosaurus

Pronunciation:
plat-ee-oh-sore-us
Name meaning:
'flat lizard'
Plateosaurus
prosauropod silhouette
Type of dinosaur:
prosauropod
Length:
7.0m
Weight:
4000kg
Diet:
herbivorous herbivorous food icon
Teeth:
grinding teeth with a horny beak at the front
Food:
plant material
How it moved:
on 2 or 4 legs
When it lived:
Late Triassic, 210 million years ago
Found in:
France, Germany, Switzerland

Plateosaurus had 5-fingered hands and a large thumb claw, which may have been for defence or for collecting food. Finds in Germany suggest that this dinosaur may have lived in herds.

Taxonomic details

Taxonomy:
Dinosauria, Saurischia, Sauropodomorpha, Prosauropoda, Plateosauria, Plateosauridae
Named by:
Meyer (1837)
Type species:
engelhardti

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