Fun Wuerhosaurus Facts For Kids

The genus Wuerhosaurus follows the classification under the Ornithischia order, suborder Stegosauria, and family Stegosauridae. The location of these dinosaur fossils was in the Ordos Basin of the Wuerho Valley from the Tugulu Group, near the city of Wuerho in the west of the People's Republic of China and inner Mongolia, Asia.

These dinosaurs from Wuerho, known as Stegosaurus homheni, were said to have lived during the Early Cretaceous temporal range around 132-113 million years ago and were described by Dong Zhiming, a Chinese vertebrae paleontologist. There are two known species of this genus: the W. homheni, the type species; and the W. ordosensis.

They are considered the last living Stegosaurians. Some characteristic features of these Stegosaur dinosaurs included a broad body with backplates and bony spines on the tail.

Remains of these herbivore Stegosaurids suggest that they fed on small, quick-growing weeds, and herbaceous plants. These prehistoric animals were thought to have a structural design adapted to feed on low-growing plants and they may have had a thagomizer at the end of their tail.

If you are intrigued by prehistoric animal information, check out the Brachytrachelopan and the Camposaurus.

Wuerhosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Wuerhosaurus'?

The Wuerhosaurus pronunciation is 'where-o-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Wuerhosaurus?

The Wuerhosaurus classification was identified under the kingdom Animalia, the Ornithischia order, the suborder of Stegosauria, the Stegosauridae family and it was a Stegosaurid dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Wuerhosaurus roam the Earth?

This dinosaur is said to have lived during the Early Cretaceous period and is one of the latest living Stegosaurids since most lived only through the Late Jurassic temporal range.

When did the Wuerhosaurus become extinct?

The Wuerhosaurus homheni went extinct during the Early Cretaceous period around 132-113 million years ago.

Where did a Wuerhosaurus live?

The Wuerhosaurous gets its name from where it was discovered. The type species, Wuerhosaurus homheni, was found in the Wuerho Valley in the western region of the People's Republic of China and inner Mongolia.

What was a Wuerhosaurus' habitat?

This herbivorous dinosaur lived in open environments or around woodlands where there would have been plenty of easily available food.

Who did a Wuerhosaurus live with?

These dinosaurs from Wuerho were Stegosaurs and followed the standard Stegosauridae behavior of living in herds or in a group of a few individuals.

How long did a Wuerhosaurus live?

The lifespan of the Wuerhosaurus is not known.

How did they reproduce?

Although the exact reproduction method followed by these dinosaurs is unknown, it is confirmed that they were oviparous. In addition, some theories state that these Stegosaurs were sexually dimorphic to some extent and may have used visual displays to find a mate.

Wuerhosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Wuerhosaurus look like?

Some of the characteristic features seen in the Wuerhosaurus skeleton are their broad bodies, backplates, thick feet, and bony spikes on the tail.

The skull of these Stegosaurids was proportionately small and narrow for its body with an antorbital fenestra; a horny, beak-like mouth; and jaws which had flap-like extensions that may have resembled the mouth of a turtle.

Plates located on backs of these prehistoric animals were modified osteoderms. These are thought to have been similar to the ones on the back of the present crocodile because these plates were attached to the skin rather than being a part of the skeleton.

They had long spikes on the tip of their tails which were used as a defense, but in the W. homheni species, spikes were much longer, while the W. ordosensis species had much smaller spikes.

How many bones did a Wuerhosaurus have?

The exact number of bones possessed by this Stegosaurid is unknown due to the unavailability of a complete skeleton fossil for study.

The holotype consisted of a fragmented skeleton without the skull, whereas fossils of paratypes had a sacrum, first caudal vertebrae, a humerus, two dorsal vertebrae, a scapulocoracoid, three posterior caudal vertebrae, two dermal plates, partial ulna and ischium, and a phalanx.

The holotype of the W. ordosensis consisted of three cervical vertebrae, a complete sacrum, the right ilium, 11 dorsal vertebrae, ribs, an almost complete torso, and five caudal vertebrae.

How did they communicate?

The communication system of these Early Cretaceous period dinosaurs cannot be determined due to a lack of evidence from fossil remains. However, since they were herd animals there is a possibility that they used some visual or vocal cues to keep the group together or selected certain individuals with whom they wanted to form a herd.

How big was a Wuerhosaurus?

The Wuerhosaurus size was comparatively small compared to that of other dinosaurs. A fully grown adult would grow 23 ft (7 m) in length and up to 9.8 ft (3 m) tall which is almost half the height of a full-grown Masai giraffe.

How fast could a Wuerhosaurus move?

The Wuerhosaurus, like most Stegosaurs, possessed unevenly sized limbs and therefore would have had a hard time moving incredibly fast. Their top speed is proposed to have been around 3.7-4.3 mph (6-7 kph).

How much did a Wuerhosaurus weigh?

The Wuerhosaurus Homheni fossil proves that it was a chunky animal and it is said to have weighed around 3,900 kg (8,800 lbs) which is more than eight times heavier than the polar bear.

What were the male and female names of the species?

This group of Stegosaur dinosaurs does not have separate names for the male and female. They have different species names such as W. homheni and W. ordosensis. They are synonymously known as the Stegosaurus homheni because Maidment et al.

proposed that this genus was simply a junior synonym of the Stegosaurus. However, Carpenter pointed out that these claims of Maidment et al. were generalized and inconsistent, and that both these dinosaurs had several differentiating factors which led to the separation of these two dinosaurs.

What would you call a baby Wuerhosaurus?

Young of these Stegosaur dinosaurs can be called juveniles.

What did they eat?

The weak bite that these dinosaurs are theorized to have had made it impossible for it to have bitten off thicker or stronger branches or plants and would have had to eat soft, weed-like plants that grew quickly and seasonally.

How aggressive were they?

In general, Stegosaurids were quite docile, gentle animals who did not show aggression unless threatened. This gentleness was offset by thick armor and a dangerous spiky tail used for clubbing hostiles.

Did you know...

Dong claimed that a single spike was placed on the shoulder of this genus.

Plates on the back of these dinosaurs were meant for display as well as thermoregulation of the body temperature.

How did the Wuerhosaurus get its name?

These Stegosaurids were discovered in the Tugulu Group of the Wuerho Valley in China and Mongolia, Asia, and Dong Zhiming, a Chinese vertebrae paleontologist, named this genus after the place.

When was the Wuerhosaurus discovered?

Although the exact year of discovery of the type species is unknown, it was described in 1973 by Dong Zhiming. Later, the W. ordosensis was found in 1988 in the Ejinhoro formation of Mongolia and described by Dong in 1993.

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 Yunnanosaurus facts and Fukuiraptor facts for kids.

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

Image one by Debivort at English Wikipedia.

Image two by Jens Lallensack.