Stegosauria

Stegosauria is a clade of herbivorous ornithischian dinosaurs distinguished by rows of plates or spines along their backs and tails.

Ornithischia: Ornithischia is the dinosaur clade whose members had a backward-pointing pubis and included many herbivorous lineages. Stegosauria is one branch of this major dinosaur group.
Stegosaur plates: Stegosaur plates are large, bony structures arranged in rows along the backs of many stegosaurs. Their arrangement and possible functions remain central to understanding stegosaur anatomy.
Stegosaurus: Stegosaurus is a Late Jurassic stegosaur genus known for alternating back plates and a spiked tail. It is the best-known example of the clade and its characteristic body plan.
Middle Jurassic: The Middle Jurassic is the interval from about 174 to 163 million years ago. Some of the earliest recognized stegosaurs are known from this interval.
Ankylosauria: Ankylosauria is a clade of armored ornithischian dinosaurs characterized by extensive body armor and, in many forms, a tail club. Ankylosaurs are Stegosauria’s closest major armored-dinosaur comparison, but their armor differs.
Thyreophora: Thyreophora is the ornithischian clade comprising armored dinosaurs, including stegosaurs and ankylosaurs. Stegosauria belongs to this broader group of armored ornithischians.
Thagomizer: A thagomizer is the arrangement of long tail spikes found in some stegosaurs. This tail weapon is among the clade’s most distinctive anatomical features.
Kentrosaurus: Kentrosaurus is a Late Jurassic stegosaur genus from East Africa with prominent shoulder and tail spikes. Its spines illustrate a stegosaur body form distinct from Stegosaurus.
Late Jurassic: The Late Jurassic is the interval from about 163 to 145 million years ago. Stegosaurs diversified widely during this interval.
Scelidosaurus: Scelidosaurus is an early armored ornithischian dinosaur known for bony armor embedded in its skin. Its armor provides a comparison with stegosaurs outside their defining plate-and-spine arrangement.

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