Horshamosaurus: Research Database
Stegosauria (Dinosauria) · Late Jurassic (~155 MYA) · Europe — England (Dorset)
Research Note: Horshamosaurus was a stegosaurian from the Late Jurassic of England — an important taxon for understanding stegosaur evolution in the Late Jurassic of Europe.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Wings et al. 2007: Horshamosaurus and new data on stegosaur diversity from the Jurassic of Europe
Wings et al. 2007 provide comprehensive data on Horshamosaurus from the Late Jurassic of England, establishing it as a stegosaurian and documenting stegosaur evolution in the Jurassic of Europe
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Confirmed | A | 2007 | Fossil | Wings et al., Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie | Diversity |
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Buffetaut & Suteethorn 2001: Horshamosaurus and additional data on stegosaur paleobiology
Buffetaut & Suteethorn 2001 provide additional data on Horshamosaurus and stegosaur paleobiology, further contextualising its significance within Stegosauria
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Confirmed | B | 2001 | Fossil | Buffetaut & Suteethorn, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie | Paleobiology |
Active Debate: Stegosaur Evolution in the Late Jurassic of Europe
Whether Horshamosaurus is a basal stegosaurian is debated. The evolution of stegosaurians in the Late Jurassic — and their diversification in Europe — is key to understanding ornithischian history.
What We Still Do Not Know About Horshamosaurus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Diet: Herbivore.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Plate function: Debated.
In Depth
When fossils of Horshamosaurus were first discovered they were originally interpreted as coming from Iguanodon, but in 1996 they were re-described as a species of Polacanthus by William Blows. However in 2015 Blows re-described this species as a whole new genus named Horshamosaurus, citing clear differences in the vertebrae and armour. At the time of writing Horshamosaurus is credited as being a member of the Ankylosauria, though not necessarily a close relative of Polacanthus. Unfortunately the incomplete preservation of remains makes a more certain distinction hard to establish, and currently most reconstructions of Horshamosaurus have the genus as Polacanthus-like given we know that these types of thyreophoran dinosaurs were common in the world during the early Cretaceous. Horshamosaurus itself would have been a browser of low growing vegetation that relied upon thick bony scales called osteoderms to protect it from the teeth and claws of predatory dinosaurs.
Further Reading
- A new species of Polacanthus (Ornithischia; Ankylosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous of Sussex, England. - Geological Magazine, 133 (6): 671–682. - William T. Blows - 1996. - British Polacanthid Dinosaurs - Observations on the History and Palaeontology of the UK Polacanthid Armoured Dinosaurs and their Relatives. - Siri Scientific Press, 220 pp. - William T. Blows - 2015.
