Stagonolepis
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| Genus: | Stagonolepis
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Stagonolepis is an extinct genus of archosaur reptile belonging to the aetosaur order. It was about 3 metres (10 ft) long.
An aetosaur, Stagonolepis was a quadrupedal animal covered in thick armoured scales that ran down the length of the its body. A slow-moving browser, it would have used this heavy body armour to repel attacks from contemporary thecodont carnivores. Stagonolepis had a very small head for its size; it was only 25 centimetres (10 in), accounting for less than 10% of the total body length. It had no teeth in the front of its jaws, but instead had a beak-like tip that arched upwards. This would have allowed it to uproot plants in a similar manner to a modern pig. The peg-like teeth at the back of its mouth would have been suitable for chewing tough vegetation, including horsetails, ferns, and the newly evolved cycads.[1]
Fossil remains of the animal have been found in Scotland and in South America.
References
- ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 96. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
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