A 150-million-year-old Stegosaurus weighed about 1.6 tones (1,600 kg, 3,527 lbs) when it was alive, the Natural History Museum in London announced on Wednesday, about the same as a small rhino. Museum revealed the December discovery of the dinosaur with tail spikes and a row on its back that was covered in spiny plates. The nickname of the dinosaur is “Sophie”. This specimen is exceptionally preserved, and scientists will be able to learn much more about the life of stegosaurs from it. Professor Paul Barrett, Dr. Charlotte Brassey and Dr. Susannah Maidment, both of Imperial College London worked together to estimate the animal’s body weight using a mix of traditional and 3-D models of the skull. The artist’s reconstruction of a Stegosaurus striking Ceratosaurus, with its spiked tail. Image: Natural History Museum. Dr. Brassey stated that because the entire specimen was so well preserved, he and his colleagues were able to build a digital 3D model of each of the 360 bones and the fossil itself. This allows them to study the Stegosaurus’ life and learn more details about its diet and walking speed. Multi-methods The researchers used multiple methods to calculate the Stegosaurus’ volume. They first created a 3-D model from the skull and then fitted the shapes to the bones. Next, they converted the mass to weight using data taken from live animals. The results were then compared with another method, which uses the circumference and length of the leg bones. This second estimate produced a figure that was almost twice as high as the 3-D model. The second estimate was almost twice that of the 3-D model. However, this specimen died as a young adult. Its legs were growing faster than its rest. After incorporating this, both estimates came to a combined total weight of approximately 1 ,600 kilogram. The Natural History Museum revealed the latest addition to its galleries in December 2014, – an almost complete skeleton from the famous dinosaur Stegosaurus Stegosaurus. Image: Natural History Museum. Dr Maidment stated that it is difficult to calculate body mass for animals who have not been alive in millions of years. This study, which is unique in that it uses different methods to estimate body mass on the same animal for the first time, has shown how different methods can produce different results. It is important to know the age at which it died. There are many things you can learn about body types. Their research explains why leg-bone circumference estimates and body volumes often differ in fossil studies. Professor Barrett stated that these findings show how valuable exceptionally complete specimens are for scientific research as well as collections. The same methods can be used on complete fossils in order to learn more about the ecology of dinosaurs.” Based on the results, researchers feel confident that their estimation is correct. They do admit that much remains to be learned about dinosaur body types. A new Stegosaurus from the Museum has 19 boney back plates, one is cast and four vicious looking tail spikes. The anatomy of the Stegosaurus would be unusual considering that it evolved from two-legged animals. Dr. Brassey stated that although dinosaurs are closely related to birds and crocodiles in many cases, their anatomy may have been very different. It would have been quite large for the main muscles to draw the hind legs backwards, and they would have connected very far down the tail. This, combined with the large hips and wide shoulders suggests that this Stegosaurus would probably have had a very large rear end.” Video: Secrets of Stegosaurus
