What is Scutellosaurus?
Q: What is Scutellosaurus?
A: Scutellosaurus is a small bipedal herbivorous dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic period, 200–196 million years ago.
Q: How long was Scutellosaurus?
A: Scutellosaurus was about a metre long.
Q: What is the position of Scutellosaurus with other dinosaurs?
A: Scutellosaurus is placed in the Thyreophora with the other armoured dinosaurs.
Q: How is Scutellosaurus related to other dinosaurs?
A: The closest relatives of Scutellosaurus may have been Emausaurus and Scelidosaurus.
Q: Were all armoured dinosaurs quadrupedal like Ankylosaurus, Stegosaurus and Huayangosaurus?
A: Yes, all armoured dinosaurs, except for Scutellosaurus, were quadrupedal.
Q: What is the significance of Scutellosaurus's bipedalism?
A: The lightly built bipedal Scutellosaurus is similar in form to the ancestral dinosaurs, which were also bipedal.
Q: Why is Scutellosaurus considered the most basal (primitive) form of the Thyreophora?
A: Scutellosaurus was one of the earliest members of the Thyreophora group, and its form is similar to the ancestral bipedal dinosaurs, making it the most basal form of the group so far known.
