Plateosaurus represents an incredibly ancient group of dinosaurs that predates the huge sauropods we all know and love.

The earliest relatives of the sauropods are often called the "prosauropods," but "prosauropoda" isn't an accepted taxonomic group nowadays. Instead, Plateosaurus and its relatives are called basal sauropodomorphs. Still, I've found that most paleontologists know what you mean regardless.

The name "Plateosaurus" has nothing to do with dishware, but with those stubby arms it's very easy to imagine them carrying a plate to an all you can eat salad buffet.

One of my German colleagues at the Verband der Zoologischen Gärten wrote to congratulate me on our first Plateosaurus hatchling. He said that apparently, Germans have fondly nicknamed Plateosaurus "lindwurm" after old tales of dragon-like serpents. Perhaps we'd better theme its paddock like a castle!