Gigantspinosaurus is a medium-sized genus of herbivorous ornithischian dinosaurs that lived during the late Jurassic period. According to paleontology, this type isn’t the usual stegosaur they knew, it’s physical characteristics are somewhat similar to Kentrosaurus for they both have huge shoulder spikes which were used to be a display feature in mating season.
Key Facts
| Domain | Description |
|---|---|
| Gigantspinosaurus pronunciation | Ji-gant-spy-noe-sore-us |
| What does Gigantspinosaurus mean? | Gigantspinosaurus means “giant-spined lizard”. The “giant” in the name pertains to its large shoulder spines. |
| Dinosaur type | Stegosauria |
| On the menu | Herbivore |
| Length | 7.99 m (26.21 ft) |
| Height | 4.26 m (14 ft) |
| Weight | 700 kg (1543.2 lbs) |
| Life expectancy | According to studies, there’s no definite answer as to how long is their lifespan, but they assume that it’s around 82 years. |
| Legs used to get around | Bipedal or Quadrupedal |
| Estimated top speed | The exact speed of these dinosaurs isn’t clearly mentioned, however, compared to other dinosaur species, Gigantspinosaurus can have moderate speed and can sometimes move fast. |
| When they lived | Gigantspinosaurus used to roam the Earth 163.5 million to 157.3 million years ago. |
| Where they have been found? | Gigantspinosaurus inhabited Asia, particularly in China where they used to settle in grasslands, forests, and wetlands since they are plant eaters. |
When & Where
This Stegosauria dinosaur was found in the Upper Shaximiao Formation in Zigong, Sichuan, China. The fossil retrieved is a partial skeleton that had a missing skull, aside from the lower jaw but has the hind feet and tail. At first, it was mistakenly taken as a specimen of Tuojiangsaurus by Ouyang Hui at Pengtang in 1985 but Ouyang was able to name the dinosaur Gigantspinosaurus in 1992.
Size & Weight
Gigantspinosaurus is a medium-sized Stegosauria that has a length of 7.99 m (26.21 ft) and is 4.26 m (14 ft) tall. These dinosaurs weigh about 700 kg. Studies revealed that they have almost the same size as Stegosaurus.
Mobility & Diet
These were herbivorous dinosaurs who were mainly dependent on plants and leaves in the forests, which explains why their fossils were discovered in forests in China. They preferred to be living in terrestrial habitats. They used to take all proteins from plants so it’s possible that it’s also their source of water. They weren’t scary as they look, they may make loud noises but they were not carnivores and didn’t hurt other animals existing at that time.
Interesting Points
- Gigantspinosaurus used to live on the Earth during the Mesozoic period.
- Some western scientists consider “Gigantspinosaurus “ to be a “nomen nudum” or “nomen dubium” meaning that the scientific name fails because there’s a missing description that isn’t published yet (fossil evidence was not enough).
- The remarkable aspect of this dinosaur was its two shoulder spikes were doubled in the length of its shoulder blades which are also longer than the other spikes on their body.
- Gigantspinosaurus became extinct about 245 million to 66 million years ago.
- Gigantspinosaurus were believed to be oviparous, where they lay one egg at a time.
- An article published by Tracy L. Ford argued that the previous reconstructions of the Gigantspinosaurus where the shoulder spines were upside down isn’t right since the spine should point upwards ending higher than the top of the Gigantspinosaurus’ back.