Omnisaura
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Dinosaur genus

Plateosaurus

Meyer 1837

Plateosaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 237–199.5 million years old, in Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

Also calledja プラテオサウルスzh 板龍
mediummedium: Only Wikidata gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Confidence labels
How sure are we?3 high10 medium10 lowHow we rate confidence

Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.

At a glance

Data as of 12 October 2026
237–199.5 Ma
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by
Meyer 1837
highhigh: PBDB and Wikidata agree.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Described in
H. v. Meyer (1837). Mittheilungen, an Professor Bronn gerichtet [Communications, sent to Professor Bronn]. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde 1837: 314–317.
highhigh: PBDB gives this publication for the name; its author and year match the naming authority (Meyer 1837), on which PBDB and Wikidata agree.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.

Lived
Norian to Hettangian, 227.3–199.5 million years ago
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation237–199.5 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
mediummedium: Omnisaura's calculation from 33 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Fossils found in
Germany
highhigh: NHM and PBDB both record it.
France
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (6 records).
United Kingdom
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
mixedmixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).

Rock formations
13, including Trossingen, Löwenstein, Klettgau and Marnes irisées supérieures
mixedmixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Show all 13, each with its confidence
Klettgau
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).
Löwenstein
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (9 records).
Marnes irisées supérieures
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Trossingen
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (8 records).
Bamberg
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Feuerletten
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Grès de Infralias
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Grès à Avicula contorta
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Lunde
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Marnes de Châlins
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Rhätkeuper
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Westbury Formation
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Ørsted Dal
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.

Family
Plateosauridae
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Parent group
Plateosauridae
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Known from
Bones
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), Natural History Museum Data Portal (CC0 1.0), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

Gaps are answers

What isn't known yet

  • Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Order: no source we use gives it yet.
  • What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Held back: 3 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf." or "?").
  • Resting on one source: 4 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB); common names (Wikidata).

Size, diet and behaviour aren't covered yet. Omnisaura leaves them out rather than guess.

Where sources disagree

None open. Where our sources overlap, they agree on everything shown here.

Did it meet…?

?

No. Plateosaurus had gone at least 115.9 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record, a longer gap than the 66 million years between Tyrannosaurus and today.

Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.

Lived alongside

Genera found in the same rock formations, from rocks of the same age.

LiliensternusCamelotiaEfraasiaCoelurosaurichnus

Same family

Other genera in Plateosauridae with a full profile.

NavahopusPlateosauravus

Credits

Where this page comes from

  • Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
  • Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
  • WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
  • OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
  • PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
  • Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines

Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.