Scelidosaurus

Scelidosaurus Temporal range: Early Jurassic, 196.5–183 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scelidosaurus cast of the David Sole specimen, in Utah.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Dinosauria
Order:	†Ornithischia
Clade:	†Thyreophora
Clade:	†Thyreophoroidea
Family:	†Scelidosauridae Huxley, 1869
Genus:	†Scelidosaurus Owen, 1859
Species:	†S. harrisonii
Binomial name
Scelidosaurus harrisonii Owen, 1861

Scelidosaurus (/ˌsɛlᵻdoʊˈsɔːrəs/; with the intended meaning of "limb lizard", from Greek skelis/σκελίς meaning 'rib of beef' and sauros/σαυρος meaning 'lizard') is a genus of herbivorous armoured ornithischian dinosaur from the Jurassic of England.

Scelidosaurus lived during the Early Jurassic Period, during the Sinemurian to Pliensbachian stages around 191 million years ago. This genus and related genera at the time lived on the supercontinent Laurasia. Its fossils have been found near Charmouth in Dorset, England, and are known for their excellent preservation. Scelidosaurus has been called the earliest complete dinosaur. It is the most completely known dinosaur of the British Isles. Scelidosaurus is currently the only classified dinosaur found in Ireland. Despite this, a modern description is still lacking. After initial finds in the 1850s, comparative anatomist Richard Owen named and described Scelidosaurus in 1859. Only one species, Scelidosaurus harrisonii named by Owen in 1861, is considered valid today, although one other species was proposed in 1996.