Scutellosaurus

dinosaur · armor · Jurassic Period · Arizona

Covered in armor. Scutellosaurus had bony plates and spikes running along its body to protect itself from predators, making it one of the first armored dinosaurs to ever evolve.

Tiny compared to cousins. At only 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) long, Scutellosaurus was much smaller than many other dinosaurs, about the size of a modern house cat.

Walked on two legs. Unlike some of its armored relatives that walked on four legs, Scutellosaurus was nimble enough to run on its hind legs while munching on plants.

Arizona dinosaur. Scutellosaurus roamed what is now Arizona, USA, during the early Jurassic Period when that area was warm and full of plants.

An ancient ancestor. At 196 million years old, Scutellosaurus is one of the earliest armored dinosaurs we've ever discovered, making it a grandparent to many later armor-plated species.