OrnithischiaIguanodontia

Camptosaurus dispar

Camptosaurus dispar skeletal reconstruction, left lateral view, reconstructed length ~5.8 m.
Scale bar = 1 meter
Taxon
Camptosaurus dispar Marsh, 1879
Reconstructed length
~5.8 m (19 feet)
View
Left lateral
Drawing
© Scott Hartman
Drawn
2015, revised 2022
Clade
  1. Ornithischia
  2. Neornithischia
  3. Ornithopoda
  4. Iguanodontia

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A stocky iguanodontian ornithopod from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of western North America. Camptosaurus was able to walk on two or four legs, although the longer, more powerful hind limbs were probably used whenever it actually wanted to get somewhere. It had a horny beak and teeth made for shredding plants. The name “Camptosaurus” translates as “flexible” or “bent” reptile, and with the strongly downcurved back and tail it does seem like it’s rather bent-over, although this presumably allowed for effective eating of its preferred plants.