🎨 RestorationRestoration: Anonymous Dinonerd · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Life restorations are artistic reconstructions based on fossil evidence; true coloration and soft-tissue details remain uncertain.
Plateosaurus
Plateosaurus trossingensis (Plateosaurus · Plateosaurus)
Known only from fossils. The IUCN Red List assesses only species extant since 1500 CE, so fossil taxa are not assigned a category.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its estimated body length of about 7 m (representative value for the genus) is roughly 1.5 times that of a passenger car (about 4.5 m), and its weight of about 4 tonnes is about two or three passenger cars (about 1.5 tonnes each) (Comparison).
- 💡 Fossils found in Germany suggest that it may have lived in groups, gathering much like herds of cattle today (Comparison).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
Plateosaurus trossingensis (genus Plateosaurus) was an early herbivorous dinosaur (prosauropod) that lived in Europe (France, Germany, and Switzerland) during the Late Triassic. Its name means 'flat lizard.'
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It walked on two or four legs and had a horny beak at the front of the mouth with grinding teeth further back. Its five-fingered hands bore a large thumb claw that was likely used for defense or gathering food.
🔍 3. Fossil Record & Paleoecology
It ate plants. Fossils found in Germany suggest that it may have lived in herds.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • Fossil taxon — the IUCN Red List assesses only species living or extinct since 1500
- • paleobiodb.org — basicTaxonInfo
- • wikidata.org — Q109314608
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Plateosaurus Skelett 2.jpg
- • nhm.ac.uk — plateosaurus.html
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Olof Moleman · CC BY 4.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.