Stegosaurus

Stegosauruses are large animals that have adapted to a range of environments and are cosmopolitan in their distribution. The Lepittanian stegosaurus is the variety native to the inner sea and Athvrea.

Stegosauruses are 5 to 7 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh 800 to 1500 lbs. They are around 15-17 feet long, 10-12 excluding the tail. The forelimbs are short but powerful, allowing the animal to swivel its hindquarters. The tail ends in two pairs of spikes. The face ends in a beak with a powerful bite force, allowing the animal to chew through woody and herbaceous material with ease. Most notably, the back is covered in 18 staggered plates. These bony plates are show sexual dimorphism with males developing brilliant reds, yellows, and greens on their plates.

The animal forages for low hanging vegetation and wanders in groups of three to five individual, typically several females and a breeding male. Clutches are typically 1 to 3 eggs with young leaving their group of origin after one year. Despite the reputation of the anklyosaurus, the stegosaurus is stunningly dull for its size and behavior is limited to that seen in significantly smaller reptiles. If threatened, the animal will first try to flee. If this fails, it will use its tail spikes which can swing in a 100 degree arc. These spikes can easily impale a human.

While not nautiluses, Stegosauruses are critical to Horvakar culture. The plates on the back of the animal are harvested and carved with images from Horvakar sagas. These are rubbed with ink and sanded down to increase the contrast. For this reason, the animals are rarely hunted unless additional plates need to be made.

In Athvrean culture, stegosauruses are shorthand for showing off.