Stegosaurs roamed the western United States and Portugal 100 to 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period. They are one of the most easily recognized species due to their distinctive plates and tail spikes. The prevailing theory is that the tail spikes were for self defense while the staggered row of plates were for either thermoregulation or for display (intimidation, mating, etc.). My personal haunch is that stegosaurs were both the peacocks and porcupines of the dinosaur world. With their conspicuous plates, their coloration most likely was not muted but rather bright and bold. A common misconception is that stegosaurs were hunted by tyrannosaurs; however, stegosaurs were long extinct by the time of T-rex. In fact, on a time scale, tyrannosaurs were closer to modern humans than they were to stegosaurs. This model was one of the cleanest sculptures I've made to date, meaning there were no cracks or other defects during the firing process. My thanks again to the Ceramic Art Studio and Shop.

Wet clay model