Tuojiangosaurus is a stegosaurid stegosaurian thyreophoran dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of China. It was named in 1977 by Dong Zhiming and his associates. It is considered to be an intermediate between primitive and advanced stegosaurians, as well as one of the better-understood Chinese stegosaurians.
Physiology[]
Tuojiangosaurus resembled its close relative, Stegosaurus; it was a round-bodied, robust thyreophoran with 4 erect legs, a relatively long neck, a large thagomizer on its tail, a row of keratinous plates running down its back, and a small head with a beaked mouth. However, it was unique in the sense that the plates on its back were shaped like large spikes, as opposed to the diamond-shaped plates boasted by Stegosaurus. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin.
Diet[]
Tuojiangosaurus was an herbivore, feeding on soft vegetation. Its small, flat teeth were used to shred leaves, as well as to chew on soft food.
Ecology[]
So far, all we know about Tuojiangosaurus is that it was a browser of low-growing vegetation, the large plates on its back were used for recognition by other members of its species, and the large thagomizer on its tail was used as a weapon against predators like Sinraptor.