Stegosaurus Coloring Pages
Stegosaurus coloring page with a smiling dinosaur, six back plates and four tail spikes. A free coloring sheet with 17 spaces, in bold or thinner lines.
Printable stegosaurus coloring sheets
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Walking left with a small smile, this stegosaurus has an oval head, one big round eye and a back that rises into a high, round hump before sloping down to a long, pointed tail. On this stegosaurus coloring page, six plates line up along the back, small at each end and tallest over the hump. Four spikes rise from the tail.
Plates, spikes and four legs
Both versions have the same 17 spaces: the head, the eye, the body and tail, six plates, four spikes and four legs. The two nearest legs are wide and rounded. The two on the far side peek out behind them. Heavy lines on the easy page make the body simple to fill for ages 3 to 5. On the narrow spikes, the thinner lines of the standard page make neat work easier for ages 6 to 8.
Learning while coloring
Stegosaurus lived in the Late Jurassic, roughly 155 to 150 million years ago. Its back plates and tail spikes are well known from fossils, so this page makes an easy start to a dinosaur topic at home or at school. Of all the parts, the long tail comes closest to the margin, which is why the A4 or US Letter file should print at 100 percent and not fit to page.
What to color
- An oval head on the left with a big round eye and a smile
- A tall, rounded back that slopes down into a long tail
- Six pointed plates along the back, tallest in the middle
- Four sharp spikes near the end of the tail
- Four chunky legs, with the two far legs peeking out behind
Tips
- Pick a color for the body first, then use a darker shade of it for the two far legs.
- Make the plates a bright color, such as orange or red, so they stand out against the back.
- Color the tail spikes a pale yellow or cream, like bone.
- Leave the eye white around the black pupil.
- Draw ferns, rocks or a few trees around the feet to finish the scene.
Stegosaurus fun facts
- Stegosaurus lived in the Late Jurassic, about 155 to 150 million years ago.
- The name Stegosaurus means roof lizard, because the scientist who named it first thought the plates lay flat on its back like roof tiles.
- Stegosaurus ate plants, which it snipped with a beak at the front of its mouth.
Classroom ideas
- Preschool (ages 3 to 5): count the plates and the tail spikes together, six and four, before coloring.
- Kindergarten: sort animals into plant eaters and meat eaters, and place the stegosaurus with the plant eaters.
- Grade 2: compare the six plates in the picture with a museum photo of a real skeleton, which had about 17 plates in two rows.
- Grade 3: add the colored page to a class timeline of life on Earth, in the Jurassic period.
More stegosaurus activities
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Frequently asked questions
Are the tail spikes too narrow for crayons?
Neat work on the narrow spikes is easier with the thinner lines of the standard page, for ages 6 to 8 and colored pencils. The easy page, for ages 3 to 5, has thick outlines that make the big body simple to fill. Both show the same dinosaur with 17 spaces to color.
What color was a real stegosaurus?
Nobody knows for sure, because its fossils do not show skin color. That means any color your child chooses is a fair guess.
How many plates and spikes are there?
Six plates along the back, tallest in the middle, and four sharp spikes near the end of the tail. A real skeleton had about 17 plates in two rows, which makes a good comparison for second graders.
Did stegosaurus eat meat?
No. Stegosaurus ate plants, which it snipped with a beak at the front of its mouth, so it goes with the plant eaters in a sorting game.
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