Jurassic
Dacentrurus
Dacentrurus armatus
The catalogue presents Dacentrurus as a herbivore member of Stegosauridae that lived during the Jurassic, between 154.0–150.0 Ma. Its estimated range is 7.0–10.0 m in length and 2.0–5.0 t in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Lourinhã Formation, Portugal. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Dacentrurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Lucas (1902).
The PBDB places it in Dacentrurinae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Stegosauridae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Stegosauridae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Kimmeridgian to the Barremian.
The PBDB catalogues 13 occurrences, with material from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation (7), from the Lourinhã Formation (4) and from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (1). Provenance: Spain, Portugal and United Kingdom.
The catalogue records the holotype as NHMUK PV OR 46013 and the type locality as “Lourinhã Formation, Portugal”.
- NHMUK PV OR 46013
- Lourinhã Formation, Portugal
The catalogue's reference measurements are 7.0–10.0 m in length and 2.0–5.0 t in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 7.0-10.0 m
- 2.0-5.0 tons
The record gathers 45 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 7.0–10.0 m
- Weight
- 2.0–5.0 t
- Period
- Jurassic
- Time range
- 154.0–150.0 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1875
- Described by
- Richard Owen
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Ornithischia
- Family
- Stegosauridae
- Genus
- Dacentrurus
- Species
- D. armatus
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- NHMUK PV OR 46013
- Type locality
- Lourinhã Formation, Portugal