Genus
Valid Extinct

Thyreosaurus

Zafaty et al. 2024

Thyreosaurus is an extinct genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic El Mers III Formation of Morocco. The genus contains a single species, Thyreosaurus atlasicus, known from a partial disarticulated skeleton consisting of several dorsal vertebrae, ribs, a limb bone, and dermal bones. Thyreosaurus is characterized by a unique dermal armor with an asymmetrical texture, indicating that it may have been recumbent. Alongside Adratiklit, Thyreosaurus increases the diversity of unique stegosaurs occurring in the Middle Jurassic of Africa.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
1
Group
Dinosaures
Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial
Thyreosaurus
click to enlarge
Skeletal diagram of Thyreosaurus atlasicus showing known fossil material of the holotype specimen (HIIUC-BN00). The exact positions of the vertebrae are unknown. The ribs are likely from different sides of the body but are shown here on a single side for clarity. Scale bar=1 m. Note: While Thyreosaurus can be reconstructed as a dacentrurine stegosaur with reasonable confidence, the structure and arrangement of its unusual osteoderms are much less certain. Traditional stegosaur plates and spikes were not found in association with the holotype. Rather, several unusual osteoderms were found that appear to have rested flat against the animal's body. It is unclear how this would have appeared in life, or if Thyreosaurus also had the plates and spikes normally found with related taxa. They are indicated here (to scale) outside of the silhouette. Key  =Holotype (HIIUC-BN00)  =Unknown References "A new stegosaurian dinosaur (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) with a remarkable dermal armour from the Middle Jurassic of North Africa" "A new long-necked 'sauropod-mimic' stegosaur and the evolution of the plated dinosaurs" "Dacentrurine stegosaurs (Dinosauria): A new specimen of Miragaia longicollum from the Late Jurassic of Portugal resolves taxonomical validity and shows the occurrence of the clade in North America" "Preparation techniques applied to a stegosaurian dinosaur from Portugal" Dacentrurus skeletal by Dan Folkes Miragaia skeletal by Ashley Patch © SlvrHwk · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
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Ornithischia Unranked clade
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Parapredentata Unranked clade
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Saphornithischia Unranked clade
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Prionodontia Unranked clade
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Genasauria Unranked clade
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Thyreophora Unranked clade
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Thyreophoroidea Superfamily
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Eurypoda Unranked clade
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Stegosauria Unranked clade
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Stegosauridae Family
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Neostegosauria Unranked clade
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Dacentrurinae Subfamily
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Thyreosaurus Genus
Fossil sites 1 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇲🇦 Morocco
1
Geological formations
El Mers III
1
Temporal distribution
Callovian (165.3–161.5 Ma)
1
Species (1)
Thyreosaurus atlasicus 168 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
O. Zafaty, M. Oukassou, and F. Riguetti, J. Company, S. Bendrioua, R. Tabuce, A. Charrière, X. Pereda-Suberbiola. 2024. A new stegosaurian dinosaur (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) with a remarkable dermal armour from the Middle Jurassic of North Africa. Gondwana Research 131:344-362 DOI ↗
Bibliography (1)
O. Zafaty, M. Oukassou, and F. Riguetti, J. Company, S. Bendrioua, R. Tabuce, A. Charrière, X. Pereda-Suberbiola. 2024. A new stegosaurian dinosaur (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) with a remarkable dermal armour from the Middle Jurassic of North Africa. Gondwana Research 131:344-362 DOI ↗