Dinosaur genus

Struthiosaurus

Bunzel 1870

Struthiosaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 83.6–66 million years old, in 4 countries, most often Romania and Austria.

Confidence labels

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How sure are we?5 high11 medium5 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 11 October 2026

83.6–66 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: Bunzel 1870
medium
medium: PBDB and Wikidata agree on who named it; Wikidata gives the year as 1871, one year apart, as when a work is dated one year and comes out the next.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Described in: E. Bunzel (1870). Notice of a fragment of a reptilian skull from the Upper Cretaceous of Grünbach. Quarterly Review of the Geological Society of London 26: 394. Read it
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Bunzel 1870).
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: Campanian to Maastrichtian, 83.6–66 million years ago
high
high: PBDB and NHM agree.
Omnisaura calculation83.6–66 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
medium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 16 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Fossils found in: Austria
high
high: NHM and PBDB both record it.
Romania
high
high: NHM and PBDB both record it.
Spain
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
France
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: Grunbach Formation
high
high: NHM and PBDB both record it.
Coal-Bearing Complex
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Râul Mare
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Sebeş
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Sînpetru
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Sanpetru Formation
disputed
low: Only NHM gives this name and it matches no PBDB formation; awaiting an editor.
Sedano
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Vitoria
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: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
Family: Nodosauridae
high
high: PBDB and NHM agree.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Parent group: Nodosauridae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Order: Ornithischia
medium
medium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.
Species named in its records: Struthiosaurus austriacus, Struthiosaurus languedocensis, Struthiosaurus transilvanicus, Struthiosaurus transylvanicus
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
Older or other names: Crataeomus (a junior synonym); Danubiosaurus (a junior synonym); Leipsanosaurus (a junior synonym); Pleuropeltus (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, and it infers it for the whole of Ornithischia, the group this genus belongs to, not from this genus's own fossils.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.
Way of life: ground dwelling, gregarious (inferred for its group)
low
low: PBDB infers this way of life for the whole of Ornithischia; behaviour is rarely known for one genus.
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.
Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
Held back: 7 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
Resting on one source: 3 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); order (NHM); 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

Formations

records nothing herePBDB
Sanpetru FormationNHM

One source names a formation the other does not. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Did it meet…?

Did Struthiosaurus meet ?

Same time, different places. Their fossils overlap in age, 83.6 to 66 million years ago, but no rock formation holds both.

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 Struthiosaurus 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 13

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

Zalmoxes Telmatosaurus Ferenceratops Magyarosaurus Rhabdodon Elopteryx Lirainosaurus Paronychodon Petrustitan Arcovenator Balaur Paludititan Richardoestesia

Same family: Nodosauridae 17

Other genera in Nodosauridae with a full profile.

Acantholipan Animantarx Anoplosaurus Borealopelta Edmontonia Gastonia Glyptodontopelta Hoplitosaurus Hungarosaurus Hylaeosaurus Niobrarasaurus Nodosaurus Panoplosaurus Polacanthus Sauropelta Silvisaurusand 1 more

Found in Romania 12

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

Zalmoxes Telmatosaurus Ferenceratops Magyarosaurus Richardoestesia Elopteryx Paronychodon Balaur Petrustitan Pseudogeckoolithus Paludititan Rhabdodon

Where its fossils were found

10 fossil sites, with present-day and ancient positions

Open the map at this time

Cite this page

Omnisaura (2026). Struthiosaurus. Future Sailors. https://www.omnisaura.com/genera/struthiosaurus. Data as of 11 October 2026.

What's changed

19 Oct 2026
Fossils found in: added Austria.
19 Oct 2026
Named by: confidence low → medium.

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

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

Struthiosaurus occitanicus humerus.JPG
Ghedoghedo, CC BY-SA 3.0
Struthiosaurus sacrum.jpg
Gyik Toma (Tommy the paleobear) from Romania, CC BY 2.0
NHM-UK_P_DF118_03_24_0541
The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, CC BY 4.0
NHM-UK_P_DF118_03_24_0541
The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, CC BY 4.0

The rest are listed in the JSON download.

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.