Triassic
Plateosaurus
Plateosaurus engelhardti
The catalogue presents Plateosaurus as a herbivore member of Plateosauridae that lived during the Triassic, between 214.0–204.0 Ma. Its estimated range is 4.8–10.0 m in length and 600–4000 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Löwenstein Formation, Germany. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Plateosaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Meyer (1837).
The PBDB places it in Plateosauridae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Plateosauridae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Plateosauridae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Norian to the Hettangian.
The PBDB catalogues 4 occurrences, with material from the Marnes irisées supérieures Formation (2) and from the Trossingen Formation (2). Provenance: France and Germany.
The catalogue records the holotype as SMNS 13200 and the type locality as “Löwenstein Formation, Germany”.
- SMNS 13200
- Löwenstein Formation, Germany
The catalogue's reference measurements are 4.8–10.0 m in length and 600–4000 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 4.8-10.0 m
- 600-4000 kg
The record gathers 87 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
- 4.8–10.0 m
- Weight
- 600–4000 kg
- Period
- Triassic
- Time range
- 214.0–204.0 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1837
- Described by
- Hermann von Meyer
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Plateosauridae
- Genus
- Plateosaurus
- Species
- P. engelhardti
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
- SMNS 13200
- Type locality
- Löwenstein Formation, Germany