An interesting fact to note is that of all of the dinosaurs, Stegosaurus had one of the smallest brains. Although the actual anatomy of this dinosaur’s brain is currently unknown, it is known that it only weighed approximately 3 ounces—which is extraordinarily small for a creature that weighed over 5 tons. As such, it is believed that this dinosaur was very simple and slow moving.
The term "thagomizer" actually came from a comic strip called "The Far Side", written by Gary Larson. The exact comic that coined the term is posted to the left. There is debate over what the tail spikes were actually used for. Were they used for defense? or were they just for display? Research seems to have indicated that the tail was flexible compared to most dinosaurs, and found spikes tend to be damaged. Both suggest more of combat use for the thagomizer than for show.
Comic by Gary Larson, published in 1983
