Plateosaurus

Plateosaurus is a genus of large, long-necked herbivorous sauropodomorph dinosaurs from Late Triassic Europe. Its fossils are especially abundant in Germany and include many nearly complete skeletons.

Sauropodomorpha: A major group of saurischian dinosaurs that includes long-necked herbivores and their early relatives. Plateosaurus is an early member of this broader dinosaur group.
Bipedalism: Locomotion using two legs for support and movement. Plateosaurus could walk on its hind limbs, despite its substantial body size.
Late Triassic: The final epoch of the Triassic Period, spanning about 237 to 201 million years ago. Plateosaurus lived during this interval, before the Jurassic diversification of dinosaurs.
Plateosaurus engelhardti: A species of Plateosaurus named from fossils found in Germany. It is the type species that anchors the genus's name.
Prosauropoda: An informal name for early sauropodomorphs, many of which were smaller and more lightly built than later sauropods. Plateosaurus is traditionally grouped with these early sauropodomorphs.
Quadrupedalism: Locomotion using all four limbs for support and movement. The possibility of four-legged movement contrasts with its commonly reconstructed bipedal gait.
Keuper: A sequence of Late Triassic rock units in central Europe, including fossil-bearing deposits. Keuper deposits preserve many Plateosaurus remains.
Plateosaurus trossingensis: A species of Plateosaurus known from Late Triassic fossils in Germany. Its name reflects the important fossil locality of Trossingen.
Saurischia: One of the two major dinosaur lineages, including theropods and sauropodomorphs. Its classification places Plateosaurus within this dinosaur lineage.
Dinosaur locomotion: The range of ways dinosaurs moved, shaped by their anatomy and size. Plateosaurus helps illuminate locomotion before giant sauropods became dominant.

Linked from 4 pages