A kentrosaurus affected by dispium.
In the Books[]
The kentrosaurus are stegosaurs (related to stegosaurus like Teggs) that inhabit the planet Kentros and are friendly to the DSS. They are noted for being a kind and gentle people. Instead of plates, they have sharp spines down their backs. Spink the miner and his workers were kentrosaurus, and one was among Spiny Jim's victims in The Star Pirates. Some kentrosaurus were also security guards who worked for Mr. Edvill in Contest Carnage!.
Species[]
Jack Wood's illustration of a life-restored Kentrosaurus.
Real Kentrosaurus were stegosaurs which lived in Tanzania, Africa during the Late Jurassic period. The spines on their backs were used as protection from carnivorous dinosaurs. Like all stegosaurs, it had a beak which it used to feed off plants low to the ground like cycads and ferns. Kentrosaurus's beak was only at its jaw tips, unlike the heavier and more extensive beak of Stegosaurus. Its back had both armoured plates and spines, possibly used for display and defense against predators. It has been suggested that Kentrosaurus could use its tail as a tripod to stand upright briefly and help it reach plants higher up from the ground.
While it was thought to be a more primitive stegosaur at first, Kentrosaurus was a close relative of Stegosaurus, which lived at the same time. Kentrosaurus was smaller than Stegosaurus at 4.5 metres in length, and, like its larger relative, had a spiked tail called a thagomizer that it could swing to defend itself. Kentrosaurus also had spikes on its shoulders to discourage attacks from the side. With its impressive set of defenses, predators would have had to quickly target the base of the tail or attack as part of a group.
While there are no complete skeletons of this dinosaur, it was common, and there are enough remains to draw an accurate picture of what Kentrosaurus looked like. Studies of its bones show that Kentrosaurus, a smaller dinosaur, grew more quickly than the larger and heavier Stegosaurus. Some specimens show that a few Kentrosaurus individuals may have been closer to the larger stegosaur in size. Its name means "sharp-point lizard".