About 150 million years ago, kentrosaurus lumbered through what is now Africa, living a mostly peaceful life while grazing on plants near rivers. When the dinosaur's tranquil existence was disturbed by predators, this gentle giant turned ugly and used a set of sharp spikes on its back and tail to keep enemies away.
Green Grazer: Kentrosaurus' head was tiny compared to the rest of its body. The beast's beak was sharp, however, and could slice away tons of leaves and stems needed to fuel the beast's bulk.
All Downhill: With front legs that were half as long as its back legs, kentrosaurus' back sloped toward the ground. This enabled the huge reptile to eat low-growing plants.
Spiked Punch[]
With long back legs, kentrosaurus could also rear up for food.
Bony plates stuck out from kentrosaurus' arched back, which protected it from attackers. Toward the beast's hips and tail, the plates grew longer into sharp spikes. However, the fleshy sides of kentrosaurus' body were vulnerable to attack. The dinosaur had to stay alert, so that when a predator charged, kentrosaurus could point its spikes toward the attacker.
Double Take: Hollows in bones near kentrosaurus' hips once made scientists believe the dino had two brains-one in its head and one in its rear. They now think the hollows made room for big sections of the beast's spinal cord.
Small Ideas: One reason scientists thought this dino might have had two brains is because the one they definitely knew about was extremely small. Kentrosuarus' brain was about equal in size to a walnut.
Predators Stink[]
A large portion of kentrosaurus' little brain was used to recognize scents. This gave the dinosaur an edge in defensive situations-it was able to smell meat-eating enemies before the predators launched ambush attacks. With a few seconds' notice, kentrosaurus would have had just enough time to point its spikes toward the attacker and lash its tail in defense.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The kentrosaurus is featured in Timeline Tracker on Monster Mania 24.