Jurassic
Dryosaurus
Dryosaurus altus
The catalogue presents Dryosaurus as a herbivore member of Dryosauridae that lived during the Jurassic, between 156.3–145.0 Ma. Its estimated range is 3.0–4.0 m in length and 80–100 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Dryosaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Marsh (1894).
The PBDB places it in Dryosauridae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Dryosauridae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Dryosauridae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Kimmeridgian to the Tithonian.
The PBDB catalogues 7 occurrences, with material from the Morrison Formation (7). Provenance: United States.
The catalogue records the holotype as YPM 1876 and the type locality as “Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA”.
- YPM 1876
- Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA
The catalogue's reference measurements are 3.0–4.0 m in length and 80–100 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 3.0-4.0 m
- 80-100 kg
The record gathers 100 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
- 3.0–4.0 m
- Weight
- 80–100 kg
- Period
- Jurassic
- Time range
- 156.3–145.0 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1876
- Described by
- Othniel Charles Marsh
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Ornithischia
- Family
- Dryosauridae
- Genus
- Dryosaurus
- Species
- D. altus
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
- YPM 1876
- Type locality
- Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA