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SOM#128, Don Everhart, The Fossil Collection, Stegosaurus, 1994
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From the collection of John Birks
Number issued: 200 Bronze
STEGOSAURUS
STEG - o - sawr - us
Late Jurassic, North America
Among the most popular of the dinosaurs, Stegosaurus' image is firmly implanted in any child who ever contemplated dinosaurs in his or her youth. The most distinguishing feature of Stegosaurus is the double row of large triangularly-shaped plates down the back, ending with two pairs of long spikes on the tail. The purpose of these plates has been debated for years. Stegosaurus' unusually small head and braincase led many early paleontologists to assume that the dinosaurs were all lumbering and stupid creatures. This theory was later laid to rest with the discovery of some of the smaller carnivorous thecodonts such as Deinonychus, which had a much larger brain. In Stegosaurus' case, an enlargement of the spinal cord between the hips led many early scientists to surmise that this creature had, in fact, two brains! However, this enlargement was more likely a relay station for messages to and from the brain.
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