Jurassic
Kentrosaurus
Kentrosaurus aethiopicus
The catalogue presents Kentrosaurus as a herbivore member of Stegosauridae that lived during the Jurassic, between 156.3–145.0 Ma. Its estimated range is 4.5–5.0 m in length and 700–1600 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Tendaguru Formation, Tanzania. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Kentrosaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Hennig (1915).
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 Oxfordian to the Tithonian.
The PBDB catalogues 26 occurrences, with material from the Tendaguru Formation (26). Provenance: Tanzania.
The catalogue records the holotype as MB R.4800 and the type locality as “Tendaguru Formation, Tanzania”.
- MB R.4800
- Tendaguru Formation, Tanzania
The catalogue's reference measurements are 4.5–5.0 m in length and 700–1600 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 4.5-5.0 m
- 700-1600 kg
The record gathers 27 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
- 4.5–5.0 m
- Weight
- 700–1600 kg
- Period
- Jurassic
- Time range
- 156.3–145.0 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1915
- Described by
- Edwin Hennig
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Ornithischia
- Family
- Stegosauridae
- Genus
- Kentrosaurus
- Species
- K. aethiopicus
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
- MB R.4800
- Type locality
- Tendaguru Formation, Tanzania