Plateosaurus << PLAT ee uh `SAWR` uhs >> was one of the largest and most widespread early dinosaurs. It lived about 220 million years ago, during the last part of the Triassic Period, in what is now western Europe.
Plateosaurus measured about 26 feet (8 meters) long and weighed up to 4 tons (3.6 metric tons). The dinosaur usually walked on all fours, but it could stand on its powerful hind legs to reach the tree leaves that it ate. Plateosaurus’s five-fingered hands could grasp food. One finger on each hand had a big curved claw that the animal held above the ground while walking. Scientists think Plateosaurus used its claws to dig up plants and to defend itself. The dinosaur also had a long, thick tail that it held off the ground.
Plateosaurus’s small, narrow head had an elongated snout and was set at the end of a long, slender neck. The jaw held many leaf-shaped teeth for chopping up plant material. The dinosaur may also have used gastroliths (stones in its digestive system) to further grind its food.
The German scientist Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer named Plateosaurus in 1837. Since then, scientists have uncovered large bone beds containing the remains of many animals. These finds suggest that Plateosaurus lived or traveled in herds. They may have traveled in herds to avoid seasonal droughts.
