Ancient Dinosaurs
        Ancient Dinosaurs
 
     

Ancient Dinosaurs


Plateosaurus



Plateosaurus 1Plateosaurus (Pronounced: “PLAT-ee-oh-SAW-us) meaning a “flat lizard” was found in Europe around areas of Germany, France and Switzerland during the Late Triassic period and lived through to the Early Jurassic period.  This herbivore dinosaur can grow up to 9 meters in length and 3-4 meters high.  It can weight up to 4 tons.  This type of dinosaur belonged to a group known as the prosauropods.  They are believed to be the first dinosaur group to feed solely on vegetation.

Fossil remains of the dinosaur plateosaurus showed that they had long tail and hind limbs and a small head at the end of a relatively long neck.  Their jaws were beak like with teeth that were leaf-shaped. Platosaurus walked on four legs but it was able to rear up on its hind legs and used its powerful clawed hands to drag in luscious branches.

Plateosaurus 2With fossils remains found throughout Europe, palaeontologists believed that they lived in herds and migrated together to avoid seasonal droughts and changes.