Scelidosaurus << sehl uh doh SAWR uhs >> an armored dinosaur, ranked as one of the first prehistoric animals ever identified by scientists. Richard Owen, an English paleontologist (expert on prehistoric life), named Scelidosaurus in 1861. The dinosaur lived in the early part of the Jurassic Period, which began 201 million years ago.
Scelidosaurus had a long, stout body that weighed about 500 pounds (225 kilograms). It stood about 31 inches (80 centimeters) tall at the hips and measured 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4 meters) in length, about half of which was the tail. The animal probably moved slowly on its four sturdy legs. Each foot ended in four toes with hooflike claws. The animal’s short neck supported a small head with a narrow beak. Rows of oval-shaped bony plates called scutes protected its back, sides, neck, and tail. Embedded in the animal’s skin, between the rows of scutes, lay many small, rounded disks of bone called ossicles.
Scelidosaurus may have eaten fruits and low-growing, soft-leafed plants. It probably used the teeth in the front of its upper jaw to nip the plants, and the teeth in the sides of its jaws to chew them. Growing Scelidosaurus young may have eaten insects to obtain protein.
Scelidosaurus inhabited a leafy landscape near riverbanks. Scientists have found its remains in Asia, western Europe, and western North America.
