Plateosaurus (Broad lizard) is a mid-sized European dinosaur. It is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon.
Description[]
The fifth dinosaur to be described after being discovered in 1834, Plateosaurus is a basal sauropodomorph dinosaur, informally known as a "prosauropod" as they were initially believed to be the ancestor of sauropod dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus. It lived during the Triassic period and was notably one of the earliest dinosaurs known to grow to a large size. Individuals could vary in size, the largest of which could be 10m (33ft) in length and weigh up to 4000kg (8800lbs), but smaller adult specimens are also common. Like many other sauropodomorphs, Plateosaurus had a small head, a long neck and a long tail, but also possessed muscular arms with grasping hands.
Plateosaurus fossils have primarily been found in central and Northern Europe, as well as Greenland. Its narrow skull and sharp-yet-plump teeth suggest it was a herbivore, although it has been proposed they may have occasionally scavenged from carcasses. It would have been able to use its hands, which each featured three large claws, to grasp food - the claws may also have been used in defense. It is estimated that Plateosaurus may have had a lifespan of at least 20 years.
Zoo Tycoon[]
Plateosaurus is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon. It is a downloadable animal released to help promote the Dinosaur Digs expansion pack.
Plateosaurus is a Deciduous Forest animal, and its favorite foliage is the Magnolia tree. It can be exhibited alongside the other deciduous forest dinosaurs (Apatosaurus, Iguanodon and Styracosaurus), but can also be safely exhibited with standard animals like the Moose and Unicorn. The favourite foliage of Plateosaurus is the Glossopteris Tree, however, just like Apatosaurus, they also like the Ginkgo and Magnolia Trees and get more habitat suitability from them.
 zootycoon.com Description
|
|---|
| The Plateosaurus, otherwise known as "flat lizard," first roamed the Earth approximately 220 million years ago. Before then, plant-eaters fed mostly on low-growing vegetation. With its long neck and tail, as well as powerful hind legs to balance their body, these dinosaurs possessed the ability to reach foliage high above ground. A typical Plateosaurus was 27 feet in length, and when standing on its hind legs could reach heights of over 14 feet. |
Trivia[]
- Plateosaurus is portrayed as being primarily quadrupedal, although it can stand bipedally on occasion. This was based on known information at the time of Dinosaur Digs' release. It has since been shown that the arms of Plateosaurus were not suitable for walking and that it was an obligate biped.
- The Plateosaurus species in Zoo Tycoon is likely Plateosaurus engelhardti, which was the type species at the time. However, P. engelhardti in the modern day has been ruled as undiagnostic (indistinguishable from other dinosaurs) and replaced by Plateosaurus trossingensis in 2019.
- Plateosaurus was originally going to be a researchable animal in the base Dinosaur Digs expansion, judging by leftover comments in certain files pertaining to research categories.
Gallery[]
