One of the stegosaurid, or "plated dinosaur," family, Kentrosaurus means "pointed lizard." It was named for the spines on its back. Other members of this family included Dacentrurus, Stegosaurus and Tuojiangosaurus.

All these dinosaurs walked on four legs and had very tough skins. Kentrosaurus had pairs of short, triangular shaped plates on its neck and shoulders. Halfway along its back, the plates were replaced with long spikes. The spikes were set in pairs along the back and the tail. An extra spike grew from the top of each thigh.

Plated dinosaurs changed from their first appearance in the middle of the Jurassic period 160 million years ago. Various members of the family appeared at different times. Kentrosaurus was known to exist as far back as the late Jurassic, about 150 million years ago. Compared with giants like Stegosaurus, Kentrosaurus was quite small. It was little more than half the size of its larger relative.

Location: Tanzania

Diet: Low-growing plants

Size: Length 4.9m

      Weight 1 tonne

Classification:

Family Stegosauridae

Infraorder Stegosauria

Suborder Thyreophora

Order Ornithischia

Time (million years ago): 156-150