Plateosaurus
A Late Triassic herbivore known from over 100 skeletons.
Plateosaurus—whose name likely means “broad lizard,” though it is often mistakenly translated as “flat lizard”—belongs to a group of early sauropodomorphs once called “prosauropods.” This dinosaur lived in what is now Central and Northern Europe during the Late Triassic, between 214 and 204 million years ago. The type species is *Plateosaurus trossingensis*; before 2019, that status belonged to *Plateosaurus engelhardti*, but the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature ruled that species undiagnostic (indistinguishable from other dinosaurs). Today, three species are considered valid: *P. trossingensis*, *P. longiceps*, and *P. gracilis*. However, many other species have been proposed in the past, and experts disagree on the overall species taxonomy of plateosaurid dinosaurs. At the genus level, there are also numerous synonyms (invalid duplicate names).
First discovered in 1834 by physician Johann Friedrich Engelhardt near Nuremberg, Germany, and described three years later by Hermann von Meyer, *Plateosaurus* became the fifth dinosaur genus ever named that is still accepted as valid. Although it was described before Richard Owen coined the term Dinosauria in 1842, it was not among the three genera Owen used to define the group—back then, it was too poorly known to be clearly recognized as a dinosaur. Today, it is one of the best-understood dinosaurs: more than 100 skeletons have been uncovered, some nearly complete. So many fossils have turned up in Swabia, Germany, that the animal earned the nickname *Schwäbischer Lindwurm* (Swabian lindworm).
*Plateosaurus* was a bipedal herbivore. It had a small skull perched on a long, flexible neck, and its teeth were sharp but plump, designed for crushing plants. Its hind limbs were powerful, while its arms were short but muscular, with grasping hands bearing large claws on three fingers—likely used for defense and feeding. Unusually for a dinosaur, *Plateosaurus* showed strong developmental plasticity: adults ranged widely in size, from 4.8 to 10 meters (16 to 33 feet) long and weighing between 600 and 4,000 kilograms (1,300 to 8,800 pounds). These animals typically lived 12 to 20 years, though their maximum lifespan remains unknown.
Despite the abundance and quality of its fossils, *Plateosaurus* was long one of the most misunderstood dinosaurs.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Plateosaurus
- Type Species
- Plateosaurus trossingensis
- Type Species Authority
- Fraas, 1913
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Plateosaurus was a basal sauropodomorph dinosaur, a so-called 'prosauropod'. It was a bipedal herbivore with a small skull on a long, flexible neck, sharp but plump plant-crushing teeth, powerful hind limbs, and short but muscular arms with grasping hands and large claws on three fingers, possibly used for defence and feeding. Unusually, it showed strong developmental plasticity: fully grown individuals ranged from 4.8 to 10 metres in length and weighed between 600 and 4,000 kilograms. The animals commonly lived at least 12 to 20 years, though the maximum lifespan is not known.
Fossils have been found at over 50 localities in Germany, Switzerland, and France. Major sites include Halberstadt (Saxony-Anhalt), Trossingen (Baden-Württemberg), and Frick (Switzerland). Excavations at Trossingen between 1911 and 1932 revealed 35 complete or partially complete skeletons and fragmentary remains of about 70 more individuals. Much material was destroyed during World War II, but a 2011 study found that the scientifically most valuable material from Trossingen is still available. In 1997, a limb bone fragment of Plateosaurus was discovered in a drill core from 2,256 metres below the seafloor in the North Sea, making it the first dinosaur found in Norway.
Reader's Guide
Plateosaurus is significant as one of the earliest named dinosaurs and one of the best-known from the Late Triassic. Its abundance in Central Europe, especially in Swabia, Germany, earned it the nickname 'Swabian lindworm'. Despite the great quantity and quality of fossil material, Plateosaurus was for a long time one of the most misunderstood dinosaurs, with theories that later conflicted with geological and palaeontological evidence. Since 1980, detailed re-studies of its taxonomy, taphonomy, biomechanics, and palaeobiology have altered interpretations of its biology, posture, and behaviour. The species taxonomy remains disputed, with no broad consensus on plateosaurid dinosaurs. The type species was changed in 2019 when Plateosaurus engelhardti was ruled undiagnostic by the ICZN, and Plateosaurus trossingensis became the type species. Its fossils have helped illuminate the diversity and life history of early sauropodomorphs.
Did You Know?
- Plateosaurus was the fifth named dinosaur genus that is still considered valid.
- The name probably means 'broad lizard', but is often mistranslated as 'flat lizard'.
- A limb bone fragment of Plateosaurus was found in a drill core from 2,256 metres below the North Sea floor, the first dinosaur discovered in Norway.
- The abundance of fossils in Swabia, Germany, led to the nickname 'Swabian lindworm'.
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