Plates, spikes and the predators that faced them
Stegosaurus carries a double row of plates; Allosaurus is the apex predator that had to deal with it.
- When
- Known to
- ± 5 million years
- Era
- Jurassic, Mesozoic
Stegosaurus, with its alternating dorsal plates and spiked tail, and Allosaurus, a nine-metre theropod with serrated blade-like teeth, dominate the Morrison ecosystem. Fossil evidence of the two interacting exists: an Allosaurus vertebra with a puncture matching a stegosaur tail spike, and stegosaur plates bearing bite marks. The plates were probably for display and heat exchange rather than armour.