Huayangosaurus | Facts & Information

The dinosaur Huayangosaurus is the smallest species of prehistoric animal in the category of stegosaurs. It had an estimated length of 4 m and weight of 1.4 tons.

Compared to the large body size the skull was small, narrow and flattened, the muzzle ended with a horn-like beak of a parrot, and the powerful jaws were provided and previously and on the sides with numerous teeth of different sizes and shapes, some larger in The Shape of a leaf, others smaller, sharp and thin.

The massive body of the dinosaur was protected on the dorsal side by two rows of large triangular shaped bone plates, which ran from the head to the middle of the tail.

They were well caught in the thick skin that covered the body of the animal, had different sizes, the largest ones were positioned on the middle of the back, and the smaller ones on the neck and tail. The researchers concluded that the plaques developed from Bony barbs – the posterior part of them widened and changed the appearance of the thorn over time.

The head was also protected by small bony plates and sturdy scales, and the end of the tail was provided with two pairs of sharp thorns, very dangerous, which resembled bull horns. On the sides in the area of the shoulders appear a sharp thorn of great length, with the role of protection of the flanks.

The forelimbs were about the same length as the hind limbs, were massive, finished with strong paws and fingers with hoofed claws. The dinosaur's gait was quadrupedal, relatively slow and cumbersome.

The plates on the back of the Huayangosaurus also had a thermoregulatory role, they were covered with strabagged skin of blood vessels that facilitated the exchange of heat with the environment. Also, by changing the color of the plates deterred predators, and within the group during the mating period they had the role of attracting the female to the male.

Huayangosaurus Feed

The dinosaur Huayangosaurus populated the forested Plains and savannahs of Jurassic China and fed like any herbivorous animal on the plants on the ground.