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Thyreophora
Sign in to saveAlso known as Thyreophoran, Thyreophorans
Thyreophora ("shield bearers"), often known simply as armored dinosaurs is a group of armored ornithischian dinosaurs that lived from the Early Jurassic until the end of the Cretaceous.
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Patagopelta Skeletal.svg
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- start time
- 199600000-
- end time
- 66000000-0
- Commons category
- Thyreophora
- taxon name
- Thyreophora
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via Wikidata · CC0
~4 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Characteristics
- Classification
- Taxonomy
- Phylogeny
- See also
- References
Thyreophora ("shield bearers"), often known simply as armored dinosaurs is a group of armored ornithischian dinosaurs that lived from the Early Jurassic until the end of the Cretaceous.
Thyreophorans are characterized by the presence of body armor lined up in longitudinal rows along the body. Primitive forms had simple, low, keeled scutes or osteoderms, whereas more derived forms developed more elaborate structures including spikes and plates. Most thyreophorans were herbivorous and had relatively small brains for their body size.