Full name, Stegosaurus Stenops, meaning "roofed lizard" was a large herbivore dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period in North America and Europe. The spikes were most likely used for defense, while the plates were for display and possibly for thermo-regulation and also recognizing their own kind, sort of like an ID. Stegosaurus was seven meters (23 ft) long and coexisted with other dinosaurs such as Allosaurus, Torvosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Apatosaurus, Diplodocus and Camarasaurus.