ABOUT DRYOSAURUS. Dryosaurus was a small, fast-running bipedal Ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period. Its fossil remains have been found in the United States, in Wyoming - including at our digsite - as well as in Colorado and Utah, and Africa (Tanzania).
Dryosaurus had a horny beak and a mouth lined with cheek teeth. These oddly-shaped teeth may have allowed the dinosaur to store and chew coarse plant material. Its name --“oak lizard"-- is derived from the shape of its teeth, which are - yes - shaped a bit like oak leaves.
Fast runner. Skeletal remains have revealed that Diplodocus most likely lived in herds and was definitely built for speed. Its back legs were power and the long, stiff tail probably had a special purpose: providing a rudderlike counterbalance for quick changes in direction if pursued.
Lithe and agile. A small, slim and agile herbivore, adult Dryosaurus grew to up to 10 feet, stood 5 feet tall at the hips and weighed close to 200 lbs.
Dryosaurus 6.5 in Metatarsal
Small digits. The forelimbs were much shorter than its back legs, with five short fingers on each hand.
ABOUT DRYOSAURUS. Dryosaurus was a small, fast-running bipedal Ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period. Its fossil remains have been found in the United States, in Wyoming - including at our digsite - as well as in Colorado and Utah, and Africa (Tanzania).
