Dinosaur genus

Plateosaurus

Meyer 1837

Plateosaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 237–199.5 million years old, in 5 countries, most often Germany and France.

Also calledja プラテオサウルスzh 板龍

medium

medium: Only Wikidata gives this; nothing contradicts it.

Confidence labels

VisibleOn tapHidden

How sure are we?3 high12 medium11 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 10 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
high
high: 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.
high
high: 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
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation237–199.5 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
medium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 33 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Fossils found in: Germany
high
high: NHM and PBDB both record it.
France
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (6 records).
Switzerland
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).
Greenland
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
United Kingdom
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
mixed
mixed: 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
mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Show all 13, each with its confidence
Klettgau
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).
Löwenstein
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (9 records).
Marnes irisées supérieures
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Trossingen
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (8 records).
Bamberg
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Feuerletten
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Grès de Infralias
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Grès à Avicula contorta
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Lunde
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Marnes de Châlins
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Rhätkeuper
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Westbury Formation
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Ørsted Dal
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
Family: Plateosauridae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Parent group: Plateosauridae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Species named in its records: Plateosaurus engelhardti, Plateosaurus erlenbergiensis, Plateosaurus gracilis, Plateosaurus longiceps, Plateosaurus quenstedti, Plateosaurus reinigeri, Plateosaurus trossingensis
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
Older or other names: Platysaurus (a junior synonym); Sellosaurus (a junior synonym)
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (names it treats as this genus).
Diet: herbivore (inferred for its group)
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.
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.
Way of life: 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 the name in quotation marks).
Resting on one source: 5 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB); common names (Wikidata); diet (PBDB).

Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.

Where sources disagree

1 open

Countries

records nothing herePBDB
O2PBDB

A source gives a country Omnisaura can't match to a country yet. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Did it meet…?

Did Plateosaurus 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.

Connections

Genera linked to Plateosaurus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.

Same rocks, same time 4

Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.

Liliensternus Camelotia Efraasia Coelurosaurichnus

Same family: Plateosauridae 2

Other genera in Plateosauridae with a full profile.

Navahopus Plateosauravus

Named by Meyer 2

Genera whose naming authority includes the same surname. The authority has no initials, so different people who share a surname can appear together.

Archaeopteryx Calorckosauripus

Found in Germany 5

Other genera found in Germany, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.

Coelurosaurichnus Liliensternus Efraasia Grallator Otozoum

Where its fossils were found

28 fossil sites, with present-day and ancient positions

Open the map at this time

Cite this page

Omnisaura (2026). Plateosaurus. Future Sailors. https://www.omnisaura.com/genera/plateosaurus. Data as of 10 October 2026.

What's changed

19 Oct 2026
Fossils found in: added Switzerland, Greenland.
12 Oct 2026
Rock formations: added Westbury Formation; removed Westbury.

Every change to Omnisaura

Use this data

Download this genus as JSON With every source and licence attached. Also recorded in: Paleobiology Database · Wikipedia (English) · GBIF · Wikidata Spotted a problem? Tell us

Pictures

2 openly licensed pictures of Plateosaurus on Wikimedia Commons and museum sites, each with its own author and licence.

Plateo Leiden.JPG
Eduard Solà, CC BY-SA 3.0
NHM-UK_P_DF118_03_22_0477
The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, CC BY 4.0

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.