One of the most recognizable dinosaurs is easily Stegosaurus. The plates on its back and spikes on its tail gave it and its relatives an unmistakeable design, with no other dinosaurs looking quite like it. Stegosaurus roamed the Jurassic praries, always in the search for food. It was often trailed by small ornithopod dinosaurs, who grazed in the wake of Stegosaurus' destruction.

Basic info

Meaning of name: Stegosaurus means "roofed lizard".

Time of existence: Stegosaurus lived in the late Jurassic, 155 million to 150 million years ago.

Diet: Despite its threatening appearance, Stegosaurus was purely herbivorous. They ate the many plants that grew around them, including ferns, low hanging conifers, and moss.

Threats: Although Stegosaurus was very heavily armored, it was not invincible. Like Allosaurus, they could be lured to mud traps by the promise of water, only to get stuck in them. The aforementioned predator could have also hunted them, though it would take a lot of nerve to, as the tail spikes of Stegosaurus could give Allosaurus a fatal wound.

Size: Stegosaurus typically grew up to 21 feet, but larger specimens could be up to 30 feet.

Attributes: Stegosaurus had two major attributes that made it among the most recognizable dinosaurs. One of these was the two rows of plates on its back. The exact function of these plates isn't truly known, with many theories stating that they would be used as temperature regulators. The other major attribute was their tail spikes, which they used to defend themselves from dangerous predators like Allosaurus.

Two Stegosaurus at a dried river

Appearances in the Walking with... series

Walking with Dinosaurs

Stegosaurus appears in the opening, though you can only see its plates as it walks. On the DVD version, the silhouette of a Stegosaurus can be seen on the Time of the Titans menu, despite it not playing a big role.

Stegosaurus in the opening

Episode 1-New Blood

Two Stegosaurus are briefly seen in the opening synopsis of the series.

Episode 2-Time of the Titans

Despite being among the most famous dinosaurs, Stegosaurus plays a fairly minor role in the episode. A pair of Stegosaurus first briefly appear wandering the praries of the Jurassic landscape, searching for food while vocalizing to each other. One year after the main group of sauropodlets hatch, they are grazing in a canyon where some moist moss has grown. However, the moss attracts a huge male Stegosaurus, who announces his arrival with a roar. We are shown his back plates and tail spikes, which startle the young Diplodocus and they move down as the Stegosaurus feeds. However, two Allosaurus arrive shortly after, and successfully kill one of the sauropodlets. The Stegosaurus notices the fleeing Diplodocus and begins to get stressed, growling and swinging his tail, accidentally striking one of the youngsters. One of the Allosaurus charges to pursue the young sauropods, only to come face to face with the angry Stegosaurus, who roars at him, and flushes his plates with blood, something which is now known to have been impossible. As he continues growling and turning so his tail faces the carnivore, the predator backs away, knowing he won't get an easy meal. The Stegosaurus continued swinging his tail and turned away, beginning to exit the canyon in favor of a more calm feeding place. Stegosaurus does not appear throughout the rest of the episode.

The Ballad of Big Al

Stegosaurus is a recurring sight throughout the special. One is first seen wandering the plains as we see the world Al has been born into, wandering near some Brachisaurus.

A Stegosaurus wandering on the plains

Later, as a Brachiosaurus is seen drinking from a lake, a Stegosaurus' plates can be seen in the background. Stegosaurus next appears during Al's second year, where as Al considers hunting a group of Othnelia, he notices the herbivore feeding on cycads, with the little dinosaurs eating the ones he smashes. Al watches the Othnelia follow the Stegosaurus across the plain.

A Stegosaurus feeding on cycads

Later, the carcass of a Stegosaurus can be seen at a predator trap, where it attracts a female Allosaurus. However, another Allosaurus had already been there, and was stuck. Soon, the female gets stuck too, and by evening both are dead. It is said that until the Stegosaurus fully rots away, predators will continue to be attracted. Small pterosaurs feast on the remains.

The carcass of a Stegosaurus at a predator trap

Stegosaurus next appears during Al's sixth year, where two are seen next to a lake drinking. It is mating season, and the pair is feeling amorous. However, Al arrives at the lake and frightens them. The two begin to swing their tails at him and growl, and he leaves in annoyance. Once he is gone, the Stegosaurus go back to business as usual.

Two Stegosaurus frightened by Al

Chased by Dinosaurs

Despite not appearing in a single episode of the series, a Stegosaurus is seen in the short opening of both episodes as one of the many dinosaurs surrounding Nigel.

Walking with Monsters

Episode 3-Clash of Titans

Stegosaurus makes a very brief appearance in the end of the episode, where two are seen grazing on a prarie before being approached by an Allosaurus.

Stegosaurus in Walking with Monsters