Discover the World of Dinosaurs: Top 10 Exciting Fun Facts About Stegosaurus!

1. Jurassic NASCAR

Say it ain't slow: the Stegosaurus could be considered the Jurassic's first speed demon, beating out the T-Rex on any given NASCAR-sized raceway. No, seriously: fossilized footprints and morphological studies estimate that this hefty, spiked reptile could cruise at a cool 7 mph – a remarkable achievement for a several-ton, lumbering beast!
Source => dinosaurreport.com

2. Bigger Brain, Better Dino

They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but what about a dinosaur by its brain size? Stegosaurus might have been the laughing stock of the Jurassic High School reunion, but its cranial capacity wasn't the smallest amongst its dino pals: In a surprising twist, the Stegosaurus' brain size was not the smallest relative to body size among dinosaurs, with other herbivores like Edmontosaurus having slightly larger brains and even predatory theropods like T. rex boasting of relatively larger brains for hunting prey. So remember, it's not always about the size of the walnut upstairs, but how you use it.
Source => theguardian.com

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=> Fun Facts about Triceratops

3. Swinging Spiked Tail

Ready, set, thagomize! Like the most dangerous game of pin the tail on the dinosaur, the prehistoric Stegosaurus had a natural weapon of piercing proportions on its tail: the "thagomizer" was a set of four long spikes, acting as a self-defense mechanism against predators such as Allosaurus, evidenced by an Allosaurus tail vertebra with a hole that matched the size of a Stegosaurus tail spike. However, swinging that sharp tail could potentially lead to broken spikes, making it a high-stakes tail-tale.
Source => smithsonianmag.com

4. Chomp Champ

Ladies and gentlemen, herbivores of all ages, step back in awe as we introduce the jaw-dropping, leaf-munching heavyweight champ of the Cretaceous period: Stegosaurus! Believe it or not: this beastie was way more bite-tastic than its peaceful appearance suggested, with a chomping power comparable to cows and sheep today. Thanks to its skull's unique structure, Stegosaurus could chew and munch on myriad plants, from ferns to cycads, making it the prehistoric life of the plant party!
Source => nhm.ac.uk

5. Plate Arrangement Mishap

Forget checking into the Steggy Arms Hotel, because their roof tiles are arranged all wrong: The plates on a stegosaurus' back actually lined up in two rows along its spine, serving as fancy billboards for attracting mates and species recognition, while also moonlighting as nifty temperature regulators thanks to their large size and blood vessels galore.
Source => livescience.com

6. Lime-Sized Intelligence

Hold on to your Jurassic hats, for the stegosaurus wasn't a "nutty professor" after all: In reality, their brain was the size of a lime or a dog's brain, debunking the long-standing myth that it was as tiny as a walnut. This knowledge shakes up the Encephalisation Quotient system, placing our beloved plant-munching dinosaur on a slightly higher rung of the intelligence ladder, but still far below warm-blooded mammals and birds. Time to give ol' Steggy a little more credit!
Source => theguardian.com

7. Rockin' Digestion

Whoever said "you are what you eat" must have had a stegosaurus in mind, as these ancient salad lovers swallowed a pebble or two to rock their digestion game: Interestingly, these vegetarian behemoths consumed hundreds of pounds of ferns and cycads daily, with a side of small stones to keep the chomping machine well-oiled and in working condition.
Source => thoughtco.com

8. Prehistoric Spoiler Alert

Did the stegosaurus have its own prehistoric spoiler alert? Fret not, no movie plots were spoiled back then: Turns out, the bony plates on a stegosaurus likely served as visual displays, rather than having a thermoregulatory role as previously theorized. Recent CT-scans of stegosaur plates even revealed internal pipes that may have functioned as a vascular distributary system, but the modern scholarly consensus leans more towards a multi-functional purpose.
Source => blogs.scientificamerican.com

9. Dino Fashion Trendsetter

Forget the fashion runway: stegosaurus was the original trendsetter flaunting its fancy bony bling! Strutting the prehistoric world with style, these dino divas used their larger-than-life back accessories for seduction and recognition: In reality, stegosaurus' intricate plated designs, filled with extensive blood vessels, likely served as both a mating lure and a way for individuals to distinguish their own kind from other species, making them the belle of the Jurassic ball.
Source => livescience.com

10. Dino Dating Billboard

Whoever said "you can't judge a Stegosaurus by its plates" was ahead of their time: recent studies reveal these bony wonders primarily evolved as flashy display structures to lure mates and signal their species identity, rather than just for self-defense or thermoregulation purposes.
Source => smithsonianmag.com