Miragaia

Miragaia was an extraordinary plated dinosaur unearthed from Late Jurassic rocks of the Lourinhã Formation in central Portugal. Belonging to the stegosaur family, it was distinctive for having an exceptionally long neck made up of at least seventeen cervical vertebrae. This remarkable anatomical specialisation allowed it to browse on foliage higher off the ground than other contemporary stegosaurs, mimicking the ecological feeding role of small sauropods. Measuring over six metres in length, Miragaia bore paired bony plates along its neck and back, transitioning into sharp defensive spines along its flank and tail. Its discovery challenged long-standing assumptions regarding stegosaurian body proportions and ecology, demonstrating surprising anatomical diversity among armoured plant-eaters sharing the lush coastal environments of prehistoric Iberia.

It had an unusually elongated neck composed of at least seventeen cervical vertebrae, more than most sauropods.

Where and when

Miragaia lived in the Late Jurassic, from 154.8 to 149.2 million years ago (Kimmeridgian age). Its remains come from Portugal, in the Lourinhã Formation.

The numbers

Length 6.3 m (estimates run from 6 to 6.5 m). Mass about 1.9 t. Hip height about 1.8 m. That is 3.7 human-lengths, or 0.56 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

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