Scientists Estimate Weight of Stegosaurus Using Nearly Complete Skeleton
Posted on March 4, 2015
cientists have estimated the weight of stegosaurus using a nearly complete skeleton at the The Natural History Museum in London. The skeleton at the museum, nicknamed Sophie, is the most complete stegosaurus skeleton ever found.
BBC News reports that the stegosaurus would have weighed about 1.6 tonnes, which is the size of a small rhino. The stegosaurus is estimated to have been a juvenile around age six, so it would have grown much larger had it lived to adulthood.
The scientists used the skeleton to create a 3D model of the stegosaurus. Museum scientists Dr. Charlotte Brassey and Prof Paul Barrett, along with Dr. Susannah Maidment of Imperial College London, then used the 3D model to estimate the weight of the dinosaur.
Dr. Maidment says in a statement, "Calculating body mass in animals that have been dead for many millions of years is no easy task. Our study is the first to attempt different methods on the same animal, and has highlighted how and why different body mass estimation methods come up with different results. The age of the animal when it died is very important."
Here is a video of the stegosaurus skeleton being assembled within the Museum's Earth Hall. Take a look: