Fun Emausaurus Facts For Kids

The Emausaurus is a prehistoric genus of bird-like dinosaurs that lived in the lower Jurassic era, whose bones were discovered in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. The Emausaurus ernsti is a basal Thyreophora that belonged to the Dinosauria, Ornithischia clade and order respectively. Its remains, a skull, and some osteoderms were discovered by Werner Ernst. The name and description were given by Haubold in 1990. Most of the fossil reconstruction of this basal Thyreophora was based on the relationship with an early member of the family, the Scelidosaurus. Did you know that in 2020 it was discovered that the Scutellosaurus and the Emausaurus are positioned on the stem of the Ankylosauria rather than the Thyreophora, calling the classification and the status into doubt? This finding was made by Norman et al.To know more about the Emausaurus size, the Emausaurus height, and other Emausaurus facts keep reading. Once you have finished this, do check out our other articles on the Harpactognathus and the Yinlong.

What did they prey on? Ground flora, cycads, bennettitales

What did they eat? Herbivore

Average litter size? N/A

How much did they weigh? 3.3 tons (3,000 kg)

How long were they? 39-46 ft (12-14 m)

How tall were they? 9.8-13 ft (3-4 m)

What did they look like? N/A

Skin Type Scales

What were their main threats? Natural disasters

Where were they found? Lowland forests

Locations Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Emausaurus (Haubold, 1990)

Class Reptilia

Family Thyreophora

Scientific Name Emausaurus ernsti (Haubold, 1990)

How scary were they? 4

How loud were they? 3

How intelligent were they? 3

Emausaurus Interesting FactsHow do you pronounce ‘Emausaurus’?The Emausaurus is a basal Thyreophora named by Haubold in the year 1999 and is pronounced as em-ow-sore-us. The taxonomy of this species is Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Thyreophora. Taxonomy is a scheme of classification.What type of dinosaur was an Emausaurus?It belonged to the genus of Thyreophoran, also known as armored dinosaurs. Thyreophorans, also known as shield-bearers, are a group of armored ornithischian dinosaurs. They lived between the early Jurassic period and the end of the Cretaceous period. Thyreophorans are easily identified by their armor-like bony plates. Thyreophora is the sister group of Cerapoda. Their name is derived from the word thyreophoroi in Greek which means soldiers bearing a thyreos shield.In which geological period did the Emausaurus roam the Earth?The Emausaurus ernsti roamed the Earth during the Toarcian stage of the early Jurassic period. The Toarcian period started with the Toarcian turnover. This was an extinction event that distinguished its fossil faunas from those of the previous Pliensbachian age. The name was derived from the city of Thouars, which is located in the Loire Valley of France, just south of Saumur. In 1842, French paleontologist Alcide d’Orbigny established the stage. The early Jurassic era is the first of three Jurassic epochs. The early Jurassic period begins shortly after the Triassic Jurassic extinction catastrophe.When did the Emausaurus become extinct?From remains, it is estimated that the Emausaurus ernsti lived 183 million years ago to 182 million years ago, after which it became extinct.Where did the Emausaurus live?Their remains have been found in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany. They lived in the lowland forest regions of Europe.What was the Emausaurus’ habitat?The Jurassic era was characterized by warm and wet climates. This gave rise to flourishing vegetation. The Emausaurus was a herbivore and fed on low lying plants so it would have inhabited lowland forests surrounded by water resources. A major part of its diet included cycads so it possibly lived in rainforest regions too.Who did the Emausaurus live with?The initial and basal Thyreophoran or armored group of dinosaurs most probably were gregarious. They might have hunted in groups or pairs and congregated in larger groups especially to ward off carnivorous predators. This way they would have been able to protect young ones who were at a higher risk of being hunted by predators.How long did an Emausaurus live?This basal Thyreophora lived between 183 million years ago to 182 million years ago. There is no data on the exact lifespan of this species. The life span of dinosaurs, in general, ranged between 20 and 80 years.How did they reproduce?The reproduction of dinosaurs is quite similar to that of modern day reptiles. The male begins by depositing sperm. This would have resulted in a fertilized egg with embryos, followed by incubation and hatching. According to references, most dinosaurs were quite attentive to their offspring.Emausaurus Fun FactsWhat did the Emausaurus look like?The length estimated from Emausaurus ernsti remains suggests that they were small to medium sized dinosaurs. It is known from a skull and some osteoderms. An osteoderm is a bony plate with skin. The rest of the fossil was reconstructed based on similarities with a close relative, the Scelidosaurus. They had an armor-like structure that consisted of three conical bone plates and one tall spiny element. This acted as armor against the clasp of teeth and claws of predators. The skull had small, leaf shaped teeth and spikes on either side. Armor-like structures were mainly found on hind and tail regions of the fossil. The length of the forelimbs was way less than that of the hindlimb. The first description was given by Haubold based on the Emausaurus skull in the year 1990.We’ve been unable to source an image of an Emausaurus and have used an image of a Scelidosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of an Emausaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected]How many bones did an Emausaurus have?This dinosaur is only known from a skull and some osteoderms. Despite being reconstructed it is impossible to narrow down the precise number of bones due to scarce and poorly preserved fossils. The estimated number of bones of Thyreophorans ranged from 84 to as many as 200.How did they communicate?They would have communicated by emitting high pitched growls, and their armor would have played an important part in courting. There isn’t much evidence to back up either of these assumptions and studies about their communication methods are still ambiguous. References state that similar to all other dinosaurs they possibly used body gestures, including tail movements, to convey messages.How big was the Emausaurus?The length of the Emausaurus ernsti was 39-46 ft (12-14 m) .The height of the adult has been estimated at 13 ft (4 m) and the juvenile at about‭ 8.2 ft (‬2.5‭ ‬m). It was seven times the length of a Scipionyx.How fast could an Emausaurus move?There is not much data regarding the movement speed of this species. Based on references, adults were probably quadrupedal while juveniles were bipedal. The estimated walking speed of medium sized bipedal dinosaurs was anywhere between 2.8-3.7 mph (4-6 kph). They could sprint at a range of 23-54 mph (37-88 kph).How much did an Emausaurus weigh?The estimated weight of the Emausaurus was around 3.3 t (3,000 kg).What were the male and female names of the species?Due to the lack of fossils, we do not know if sexual dimorphism existed in this species. Separate male and female fossils have not been discovered yet. They do not have any specific names.What would you call a baby Emausaurus?The baby Emausaurus ernsti can be called a hatchling, nestling, or even a juvenile.What did they eat?The Emausaurus ernsti was a herbivore. It mainly fed on plant matter. Due to it not being very tall, its diet mostly consisted of low lying plants. It had small and less complex teeth than other Ornithschians which allowed it to only crop and chew vegetation with restricted motions. Therefore, it must have had a simpler diet including ground flora, cycads, and bennettitales.How aggressive were they?They were herbivorous dinosaurs; therefore, they would not have been as aggressive as a T. rex or other carnivorous dinosaurs. They did, however, have to protect themselves against predators, which may have necessitated some aggression. They were more concerned with defending themselves than with assaulting. Because their small teeth were of little use, they used their armor to defend themselves against predators’ jaw and teeth clasps.Did you know…Despite being discovered by Werner Ernst, this dinosaur was formalized by Hartmut Haubold.The biological status of the Emausaurus ernsti has been controversial due to the young nature of the fossil.The Emausaurus is a primitive genus of Thyreophoran dinosaurs.The type species was classified under this genus by Haubold in 1990; however, proper evidence for this classification was given in the year 2004 by Norman et al. This was further confirmed by Langer et al in 2010; however, the evidence produced by Langer et al was ambiguous and insufficient.Norman is a British paleontologist.The term Dinosauria was coined by Sir Richard Owen in 1841.Why are they called Emausaurus?The name Emausaurus ernsti was given to this dinosaur based on the Greifswald’s Ernst Moritz Arndt University, and it was merged with the ancient Greek sauros, meaning lizard. The species name was given to honor the geologist from Germany who first discovered fossils, Werner Ernst. Emausaurus is the only known Thyreophoran from the Toarcian zone, hence the name. It was named by Hartmut Haubold in 1990. The word (Greek) sauros was coined by Sir Richard Owen, an English biologist, comparative anatomist, and paleontologist in 1841.Who discovered the Emausaurus?Fossils of the Emausaurus ernsti, belonging to the genus of Thyreophoran or armored dinosaur, was discovered in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany by Werner Ernst, a German paleontologist and geologist.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Telmatosaurus facts and Brachytrachelopan facts pages.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Emausaurus coloring pages.

How do you pronounce ‘Emausaurus’?

The Emausaurus is a basal Thyreophora named by Haubold in the year 1999 and is pronounced as em-ow-sore-us. The taxonomy of this species is Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Thyreophora. Taxonomy is a scheme of classification.

Fun Emausaurus Facts For Kids

What did they prey on? Ground flora, cycads, bennettitales

What did they eat? Herbivore

Average litter size? N/A

How much did they weigh? 3.3 tons (3,000 kg)

How long were they? 39-46 ft (12-14 m)

How tall were they? 9.8-13 ft (3-4 m)

What did they look like? N/A

Skin Type Scales

What were their main threats? Natural disasters

Where were they found? Lowland forests

Locations Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Emausaurus (Haubold, 1990)

Class Reptilia

Family Thyreophora

Scientific Name Emausaurus ernsti (Haubold, 1990)

How scary were they? 4

How loud were they? 3

How intelligent were they? 3

Fun Emausaurus Facts For Kids

What did they prey on? Ground flora, cycads, bennettitales

What did they eat? Herbivore

Average litter size? N/A

How much did they weigh? 3.3 tons (3,000 kg)

How long were they? 39-46 ft (12-14 m)

How tall were they? 9.8-13 ft (3-4 m)

What did they look like? N/A

Skin Type Scales

What were their main threats? Natural disasters

Where were they found? Lowland forests

Locations Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Emausaurus (Haubold, 1990)

Class Reptilia

Family Thyreophora

Scientific Name Emausaurus ernsti (Haubold, 1990)

How scary were they? 4

How loud were they? 3

How intelligent were they? 3

Fun Emausaurus Facts For Kids

What did they prey on? Ground flora, cycads, bennettitales

What did they eat? Herbivore

Average litter size? N/A

How much did they weigh? 3.3 tons (3,000 kg)

How long were they? 39-46 ft (12-14 m)

How tall were they? 9.8-13 ft (3-4 m)

What did they look like? N/A

Skin Type Scales

What were their main threats? Natural disasters

Where were they found? Lowland forests

Locations Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Emausaurus (Haubold, 1990)

Class Reptilia

Family Thyreophora

Scientific Name Emausaurus ernsti (Haubold, 1990)

How scary were they? 4

How loud were they? 3

How intelligent were they? 3