Dinosaurs & Prehistory - Dinosaurs - Stegosaurus - Dinosaur anatomy - Jurassic
How were the large dorsal plates of Stegosaurus arranged?
Correct!
Stegosaurus' conspicuous bony plates stood vertically on its back and were arranged alternately on either side of the spine. So they didn't form exactly opposite symmetrical pairs. The Natural History Museum describes this staggered arrangement using historical and well-preserved fossil evidence. The plates were also not directly connected to the skeleton, but lay in the skin as osteoderms. That's why in many Stegosaurus finds they are found separately from the rest of the skeleton. What exactly the plates were used for has not yet been finally clarified. Among other things, recognition and presentation to conspecifics, deterrence and a possible role in heat release are discussed.
The dorsal plates of the Stegosaurus were not in pairs facing each other, but in two staggered rows along the back.
