Download FACT SHEET: dryosaurus

FACT SHEET: dryosaurus
NAME: DRYOSAURUS (DRY-oh-SAW-rus), meaning: "Oak tree lizard"
SIZE: 10 feet long, 5 feet tall at the hips (the size of a car), weighed 180 pounds
TYPE OF DIET: Herbivore (leaves from plants)
WHEN: Early Jurassic period (156 - 145 million years ago)
WHERE: North America, Africa (Tanzania), England, Romania
Dryosaurus lived in the thick forests of the late Jurassic period, about 156 to 145 million years
ago. It was not a very large dinosaur. It was about 10 feet long, five feet tall at the hips, and weighed
about 180 pounds. We know a lot about this dinosaur because lots of Dryosaurus skeletons have
been found. It was a very common dinosaur.
Dryosaurus was a bipedal dinosaur, meaning that it ran on two legs. Its back legs were thin
yet strong. Its tail was stiff to help it keep its balance while it was running. Dryosaurus used its speed
and agility to escape its hunters. It could run as fast as 25 miles per hour. That was fast enough to
outrun most meat-eaters. Dryosaurus was an herbivore, meaning that it only ate plants. It had no
front teeth but had a sharp, hard beak that could rip the leaves off plants. It could store the food it
was chewing in its cheeks. This was very handy when a dinosaur had to eat and run! Dryosaurus
means ”oak tree lizard”. It got this name because of the shape of its back teeth. If you saw them
from the top, they would look a little like oak leaves.
Dryosaurus laid eggs and most likely cared for its babies after the eggs hatched. Like most
dinosaurs, a baby Dryosaurus was born small and grew quickly to its adult size. Dryosaurus was a
fairly intelligent dinosaur. It had a medium-sized brain. We
know this by studying the space in its skull. Fossils of
Dryosaurus have been found in western North America and
Africa. They have also been found in England, Romania and
Tanzania.
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