Fun Stokesosaurus Facts For Kids

The Stokesosaurus (Stokesosaurus clevelandi) was a genus of dinosaurs that inhabited the regions of North America and the United Kingdom. Various partial specimens of this animal were discovered from Utah, South Dakota, and England, some of which were lost and could not be properly attributed to this animal. James H. Madsen gave them their name in 1974. Most of the specimens were discovered by Madsen himself. The Stokesosaurus weight and Stokesosaurus length are 130 lb (60 kg) and 10- 13 ft (3-4 m), respectively. The exact Stokesosaurus height is not yet known. They were of small size compared to other carnivores, which in turn helped them to run faster and hunt their prey. Madsen, along with William Lee Stokes, found the holotype ilium in the Emeny County of Utah. Many scientists believe Aviatyrannis to be a junior synonym of Stokesosaurus. This species shared its habitat grounds with other herbivores and large-sized predators as well.

If you are fascinated by the Stokesosaurus, then you may want to continue reading our other amazing facts about them. If you want to learn more about different animals around the world, check out these Orolotitan fun facts and Aralosaurus facts for kids too.

How do you pronounce 'Stokesosaurus'?

Stokesosaurus can be a really hard word to say. The best way to pronounce it is by breaking this big word into steh-guh-saw-ruhs.

What type of dinosaur was a Stokesosaurus?

The Stokesosaurus are Theropod dinosaurs. Theropods are identified by their three-toes limbs and hollow bones.

In which geological period did Stokesosaurus roam the earth?

This genus of dinosaurs dates back as far as the late Jurassic period. Compared to the present age, the late Jurassic period was almost 150.8-155 million years ago.

When did the Stokesosaurus become extinct?

The exact data about the time when the Stokesosaurus became extinct is not present. However, they were known to belong to the late Jurassic time in the region of Utah, based on the partial specimens that have been recovered. Peter Malcolm Galton, a geologist, had once claimed them to be a second species of Iliosuchus and even named them Iliosuchus clevelandi. However, this claim was later rejected by other scientists and even himself in 1980.

Where did Stokesosaurus live?

The Stokesosaurus were believed to have lived in the Morrison Basin. The Morrison Formation is a region with low rainfall. The Stokesosaurus lived in this semi-arid environment alongside other herbivores and theropods.

What was the Stokesosaurus' habitat?

The Stokesosaurus is believed to have inhabited the regions of North America and the United Kingdom. A few partial specimens of this animal have been recovered, which included tail vertebrae, ilium, ischia, and a braincase. A small ilium from South Dakota was also recovered, which was believed to be belonging to this animal. However, it is now lost, and there is no concrete data to prove the theory.

Who did Stokesosaurus live with?

This genus of dinosaurs shared its habitat grounds with other herbivores like Stegosaurus, Dryosarus, and Camptosaurus. Other predators that are known to live alongside the species Stokesosaurus, are Ceratosaurus, Marshosaurus, and Allosaurus, among many others.

How long did a Stokesosaurus live?

The exact lifespan of this genus Stokesosaurus is not yet known. However, according to several estimates by scientists, the size of dinosaurs was known to have a direct link to their lifespan. Therefore the bigger they were in size, the greater was the lifespan.

How did they reproduce?

Not much content is available on the exact reproduction process followed by the Stokesosaurus that walked on this earth a hundred million years ago. In general, all dinosaurs were known to reproduce by laying eggs. However, there have been no fossil remains of any reproductive organs of this species to shed light on their reproductive process.

What did Stokesosaurus look like?

Compared to other carnivorous dinosaurs, the Stokesosaurus were rather smaller in size, reaching up to a length of 10-13 ft (3-4 m). On an excavation journey to Emeny County, Utah, William Lee Stokes and James. H. Madsen discovered the fossil remains of this species. The ilium, which is the largest part of the hip bone, served as the holotype, based on which this new species was named and discovered. It was estimated to be 8.7 in (22 cm) in length. James H. Madsen estimated the length of an adult of this genus was 13 ft (4 m).

How many bones did a Stokesosaurus have?

The skeleton remains found were not whole, but a partial skeleton. Therefore, the exact number of bones of this carnivorous animal is not yet known. The skeleton remains that were found was an ilium, which is the largest part of the hip bone. The holotype was discovered by H. Madsen along with William Lee Stokes.

How did they communicate?

The exact communication process used by this newly discovered theropod dinosaur is not yet known. They were known to share their habitat regions with other predators and herbivores. There is no confirmed theory about how most dinosaurs communicated with each other.

How big was the Stokesosaurus?

The species Stokesosaurus was rather smaller in size, especially if compared to other carnivorous species. An adult individual of this species is described to be 10- 13 ft (3-4 m) in length. Stokesosaurus and Tanycolagreus were of similar size. The Tanycolagreus is a theropod dinosaur of the Late Jurassic time of North America.

How fast could a Stokesosaurus move?

The exact speed of this species Stokesosaurus that dates back to the ancient history of the late Jurassic period, is not yet known as it was so long ago, which makes it hard to estimate in scientific terms. They were, however, known to be faster than most other predators because of their small size and could easily hunt down on their prey.

How much did a Stokesosaurus weigh?

The Stokesosaurus size is rather small compared to most other predatory species. The weight of this species of theropod dinosaur is 130 lb (60 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

No sex-specific name is attributed to this genus that walked this planet a hundred million years ago.

What would you call a baby Stokesosaurus?

History has shown us that dinosaurs reproduced mainly by laying eggs. Therefore after the hatching of the eggs, the babies that were born were referred to as juveniles.

What did they eat?

The Stokesosaurus were known to be carnivores or meat-eaters. Their small size enabled them to move faster and hunt down their prey. However, this also made them an easy target to other large-sized carnivores.

How aggressive were they?

The exact behavior of these animals is not known. But since they were carnivores, it can be safely assumed that they were rather aggressive by nature when it came to hunting on their prey.

Did you know...

Juratyrant (Stokesosaurus Langhami), a second species, was introduced by Stephen Brusatte and Benson in 2008. The classification was based on a partial skeleton found in England. Both these individuals claimed that out of the specimens discovered and described them to belong to Stokesosaurus, none of them were properly justified, except the ilium. The ilium, according to them, is the only remaining data that belongs to this species.

Yet another fossil remain was found in the regions of South Dakota, which was initially thought to belong to this genus, while others claim it may actually belong to Aviatyrannis. The specimens date back to a million years ago and are now lost. Therefore no concrete data is available to prove the claim. The specimen was described to be a small ilium, which is the uppermost part of the hip bone.

Iliosuchus clevelandi was another name given to the Stokesosaurus, by Peter Malcolm Galton, who believed them to be a second species of Iliosuchus. However, the claim was discarded by other researchers during that time and later by himself as well.

Many scientists believe Aviatyrannis to be a junior synonym of Stokesosaurus.

Why are they called Stokesosaurus?

Stokesosaurus was named after the Utah geologist William Lee Stokes, who, along with James H. Madsen, found the holotype ilium (the largest part of the hip bone) of this dinosaur, which led to its discovery. The specimen was found in the Emeny County of Utah, and the newly discovered species was named by Madsen himself in 1974. The specific name Stokesosaurus clevelandi referred to Stokes and the town of Cleveland in Utah.

How many specimens of Stokesosaurus were discovered?

A total of four specimens of Stokesosaurus were discovered, according to research data. On an excavation trip to Emeny County of Utah, many fossil remains were found, most of which belonged to the genus Allosaurus. However, among these fossil remains, a few were identified to be new, something that has not been under any classification of any genus.

The new specimen was attributed to the genus of Stokesosaurus thereafter by Madsen. The specimen was described to be the left ilium (the largest part of the hip bone) and was discovered in the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation. The ilium was attributed to a juvenile of this genus and dated back to the late Jurassic period. The right ilium, which was almost 50% larger in size than the left ilium, along with a premaxilla (a piece of the upper jaw), was found simultaneously by Madsen.

Whether it actually belongs to Stokesosaurus was not confirmed, since much later in 2005, the fossil remains were thought to have belonged to Tanycolagreus. Tanycolagreus is a species of Theropods belonging to the later Jurassic period of North America. Both Tanycolagreus and Stokesosaurus were similar in size. A few other early remains included tail vertebrae, ischia (lower part of the hip bone), and a partial braincase found in 1991 and 1998.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Incisivosaurus facts, or Xenotarsosaurus facts for kids.

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

Both images by Conty