Fun Gigantspinosaurus Facts For Kids

Akinwalere Olaleye
Jan 18, 2023 By Akinwalere Olaleye
Originally Published on Sep 24, 2021
Edited by Monisha Kochhar
These giant spined lizards lived during the late Jurassic period
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 6.6 Min

Gigantspinosaurus sichuanensis (giant spined lizard) is a species of the genus Gigantspinosaurus that used to live in China during the Jurassic period. It was a stegosaur, and mistakenly it was taken as a specimen of Tuojiangosaurus by Ouyang Hui at Pengtang near Jinquan in 1985 and was reported by Gao Ruiqi and colleagues in 1986.

Still, Gigantspinosaurus facts expose that its name was derived in 1992 in an abstract of a lecture.

It is a medium-sized stegosaur but still covers a surface of 64.17 sq. in (414 sq.

cm). In 2006, public awareness increased for this animal when Tracy Ford considered it a validly established taxon. It has variations in shoulder spines which were upside down earlier and the new formation of Gigantspinosaurus skeleton shows that their spine was higher than the top of the animal's back.

If you enjoy this article, you could also check out other amazing facts about these Rahonavis and Incisivosaurus.

Gigantspinosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Gigantspinosaurus'?

Gigantspinosaurus pronunciation is 'gii-gant-spii-no-so-rass'.

What type of dinosaur was a Gigantspinosaurus?

Gigantspinosaurus is an enormous dinosaur named by Ouyang Hui at Pengtang near Jinquan in 1985.

It is an unusual stegosaur and according to paleontology, these creatures look somewhat like Kentrosaurus as they have huge shoulder spikes and sometimes they are used for a display feature for mates. Plenty of primitive stegosaurs such as Gigantspinosaurus and Huayangosaurus were relatively more into the genera such as Chungkingosaurus and Tuojiangosaurus.

Found in the Dashanpu formation of China, this suggests the stegosauria evolved and resided in Asia before migrating to Africa, Europe, and North America.

In which geological period did the Gigantspinosaurus roam the earth?

Gigantspinosaurus prehistoric animals or Gigantspinosaurus stegosaurus roamed the earth 163.5 million years ago to 157.3 million years ago and only one specimen has been found by paleontologists. They lived during the Mesozoic period when the non-bird dinosaurs lived between about 245 and 66 million years ago.

When did the Gigantspinosaurus become extinct?

These giant spined lizards lived during the late Jurassic period and became extinct 245 and 66 million years ago. Their description can be done as a herbivorous stegosaur found earlier in China. Gigantspinosaurus Fossil can be relatively discovered in the Zuluizing Formation in China, which unlocks for expedition teams on Isla Sorna.

Where did a Gigantspinosaurus live?

They are more prone to Inhabited Asia and lived in China back in those days in the world. To address their living life, they were more comfortable in wetlands, grasslands, and forests, and when the scientist did a search, their fossil was also found in forest and found in Sichuan.

What was a Gigantspinosaurus' habitat?

They are herbivore stegosaurs who lived their lives during the late Jurassic period. Their first fossil was found by Ouyang Hui at Pengtang near Jinquan in 1985 and was reported by Gao Ruiqi and colleagues in 1986. These species of dinosaurs ruled the earth from 163.5 million years ago to 157.3 million years ago.

Who did a Gigantspinosaurus live with?

As observed back in Gigantspinosaurus history, they moved in a minimum herd of at least four in, or else they'd quickly become uncomfortable. They were found mostly in China and inhabited in Asia.

How long did a Gigantspinosaurus live?

According to the discovery, the stegosaur lived about 150.8 million to 155.7 million years ago, primarily in western North America, it is not sure. Still, they may have a life span of around 82 years.

How did they reproduce?

Their reproduction was oviparous, where they were believed to lay one egg at a time. The motility was active among the species of dinosaurs, but this genus had become extinct a long time ago. However, the price for the incubation of this genus egg was around $370,000.

Gigantspinosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Gigantspinosaurus look like?

The detailed description of this dinosaur includes that they were a 'medium-sized stegosaur,' estimated by Gregory S. Paul in 2010, and their maximum length is 314.96 in (800 cm), and are 14 ft (4.26 m) tall, they weigh around 1,543.2 lb (700 kg).

They have distinctive features and small dorsal plates and greatly enlarged shoulder spines, and they have a double length of the shoulder blades they rested via large flat bases.

They have a triangular shape of plates on the neck, and the first tail and feet vertebra have been fused into single plates. The Gigantspinosaurus skull is comparatively large and had 30 teeth in each lower jaw.

According to the Gigantspinosaurus skeletal, they had broad hips and the enormous neural spine is also being searched or scanned in the species.

The Gigantspinosaurus skin had been scanned by Xing Lida and colleagues in 2008 through their partial skeleton from shaximiao formation and it covered an area of the diameter of 0.22-0.36 in (5.58-9.14 mm).

Tracy Ford considered it a validly established taxon

How many bones did a Gigantspinosaurus have?

As per the features, the Huayangosaurus vs. Gigantspinosaurus has around 27 bones common in both the vertebral column anterior to the sacrum and around 46 caudal (tail) vertebrae. Gigantspinosaurus shoulder spikes have distinctive upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tail and feet to date.

How did they communicate?

They used to roam in small herds and usually made loud sounds while moving in the group. No other communication method was specified.

How big was a Gigantspinosaurus?

The Gigantspinosaurus size was almost 14 ft (4.26 m) tall and was around 314.96 in (800 cm) in body length. Gigantspinosaurus vs. Stegosaurus size has been discovered to be similar.

How fast could a Gigantspinosaurus move?

It is not clearly mentioned about the speed of these species of dinosaurs and whether they could move fast or not, but compared to other species of dinosaurs or the species, those of genus Gigantspinosaurus have a moderate speed and sometimes can move fast.

They do not have to catch prey and also move in small herds; therefore they move a bit slow.

How much did a Gigantspinosaurus weigh?

As understood from the discovery of a skeleton, these dinosaurs weigh around 1,543.2 lb (700 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for male and female species of stegosaurs. Therefore, they are known as male Gigantspinosaurus and female Gigantspinosaurus. They were from shaximiao formation during the late Jurassic period and also migrated to North America and Asia.

What would you call a baby Gigantspinosaurus?

The baby Gigantspinosaurus is called a young or baby stegosaur related to other species of dinosaur.

What did they eat?

They were herbivorous ornithischian dinosaur plant-eaters who lived during the late Jurassic period and explored in China and inhabited Asia. They were mainly dependent on plants and leaves from trees in the forest as they preferred living in the forest and also in terrestrial habitats.

They took all proteins from plants, so basically, they ate and took water also from plants. They had a similar diet as other dinosaurs who were herbivores.

How aggressive were they?

They were not so aggressive, but as per their appearance, they look a bit scary and sometimes make loud noises but were not carnivore animals and therefore did not hurt any other animal which existed at that time. Still, this species was a fierce and aggressive predator.

Did you know...

Gigantspinosaurus was a species whose fossils were also found by Ouyang Hui at Pengtang near Jinquan in 1985 and was reported by Gao Ruiqi and colleagues in 1986. They have explored the world in the late Jurassic period with many different features and having various addresses in the world.

They grew up to 14 ft (4.26 m) in length and weighed 1,500 lb (680 kg) and also, like Gigantspinosaurus, cover a surface of 64.17 sq. in (414 sq. cm).

What dinosaur has spikes down its back?

The Stegosaurus, with a lot of unique features, is a herbivore dinosaur that has spikes down its back. These were large, heavily built, herbivorous quadrupeds with rounded backs, short forelimbs, long hind limbs, and tails held high in the air.

Where are Gigantspinosaurus' fossils commonly found?

The first fossil of Gigantspinosaurus was found by Ouyang Hui at Pengtang near Jinquan in 1985 and was reported by Gao Ruiqi and colleagues in 1986. They lived during the late Jurassic period in China, North America, and sometimes inhabited Asia, in Sichuan, which is situated in China.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Ichthyovenator facts and Tupuxuara facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Gigantspinosaurus coloring pages.

 

Main image by Conty.

Second image by David Stanley.

Gigantspinosaurus Facts

What Did They Prey On?

Plants

what Type of Animal were they?

Herbivore

Average Litter Size?

1 egg

What Did They Look Like?

Dark shades like gray, black, and brown

How Much Did They Weigh?

1,543.2 lb (700 kg)

Skin Type

Scales

How Long Were They?

314.96 in (800 cm)

How Tall Were They?

14 ft (4.26 m)

Kingdom

Animalia

Class

Reptilia

Genus

Gigantspinosaurus

Family

Stegosauridae

Scientific Name

Gigantspinosaurus

What Were Their Main Threats?

Natural disasters

What Habitat Did They Live In?

Grasslands, wetlands, and terrestrial habitat

Where Did They Live?

China
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Written by Akinwalere Olaleye

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature

Akinwalere Olaleye picture

Akinwalere OlaleyeBachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature

As a highly motivated, detail-oriented, and energetic individual, Olaleye's expertise lies in administrative and management operations. With extensive knowledge as an Editor and Communications Analyst, Olaleye excels in editing, writing, and media relations. Her commitment to upholding professional ethics and driving organizational growth sets her apart. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Benin, Edo State. 

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