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Description
Scientific name: Dacentrurus armatus
Diet: low-growing plants (at the Zoo they eat mid-temperature plants)
Projected natural lifespan: 21 years
Length: 7 meters (~23 feet)
Weight: 2.5 tonnes (~2.8 tons)
Locality: Wiltshire, England (Kimmeridge Clay), 154 Ma (Late Jurassic Kimmeridgian)
Exhibit: Shield Bearers

About:
Stegosaurs like Dacentrurus were some of the largest and most impressive dinosaurs. Known for their arrays of plates and spikes, each species has their own unique arrangement.

Description and behavior:
Dacentrurus is one of the largest stegosaurs, slightly smaller than the largest Stegosaurus. It was also one of the more common ones, with a range spanning four modern-day countries. One key to their success was their diet; Dacentrurus wasn't a picky eater, and would readily browse for any available vegetation. They appear to have a preference for water plants, which they could forage from riverbanks or even the bottom of the sea. Their stocky musculature and thick bones are slightly reminiscent of a hippo's, which allows them to control their bouyancy. It's possible this is how it was able to proliferate; Europe was a chain of islands during the Mesozoic, so swimming was the only way for a land animal to conquer new territory. It was also very territorial. Its eyes were on the side of its head, on the end of a very long neck, allowing it to look all around its body at any time. When it spots a predator, Dacentrurus smacks it with all the spikes on its tail, leaving it with fatal injuries. This aggressiveness made it the undisputed kings of their area.

At the Zoo:
We have five Dacentrurus at the Shield Bearers exhibit, all males, named Engh, Frank, Porter, Spencer, and William.

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The behavior is inspired by pigs, moose, hippos, and goats.

The skeletal I used belongs to Qilong .

The mass estimate comes from a deviation by AndreOF-Gallery .

Description
Scientific name: Dacentrurus armatus
Diet: low-growing plants (at the Zoo they eat mid-temperature plants)
Projected natural lifespan: 21 years
Length: 7 meters (~23 feet)
Weight: 2.5 tonnes (~2.8 tons)
Locality: Wiltshire, England (Kimmeridge Clay), 154 Ma (Late Jurassic Kimmeridgian)
Exhibit: Shield Bearers

About:
Stegosaurs like Dacentrurus were some of the largest and most impressive dinosaurs. Known for their arrays of plates and spikes, each species has their own unique arrangement.

Description and behavior:
Dacentrurus is one of the largest stegosaurs, slightly smaller than the largest Stegosaurus. It was also one of the more common ones, with a range spanning four modern-day countries. One key to their success was their diet; Dacentrurus wasn't a picky eater, and would readily browse for any available vegetation. They appear to have a preference for water plants, which they could forage from riverbanks or even the bottom of the sea. Their stocky musculature and thick bones are slightly reminiscent of a hippo's, which allows them to control their bouyancy. It's possible this is how it was able to proliferate; Europe was a chain of islands during the Mesozoic, so swimming was the only way for a land animal to conquer new territory. It was also very territorial. Its eyes were on the side of its head, on the end of a very long neck, allowing it to look all around its body at any time. When it spots a predator, Dacentrurus smacks it with all the spikes on its tail, leaving it with fatal injuries. This aggressiveness made it the undisputed kings of their area.

At the Zoo:
We have five Dacentrurus at the Shield Bearers exhibit, all males, named Engh, Frank, Porter, Spencer, and William.

----

The behavior is inspired by pigs, moose, hippos, and goats.

The skeletal I used belongs to Qilong .

The mass estimate comes from a deviation by AndreOF-Gallery .