Iterations of Spikes

Stegosaurus has gone through many iterations of posture and general body shape. The plates of Stegosaurus have been the subject of just as many interpretations as the entire of body the animal. These have ranged from tall triangular plates to flattened roof-like plates (from whence the name Stegosaurus, "roof lizard" comes). These shapes are all based on the different fossil plates that have been recovered. They are mostly the same shapes of course, but morphological differences and soft tissue on the plates may have altered how the living animal looked significantly. The differences can be seen in the many different illustrations below.

Middle "roofed" plates illustration by Giovanni Caselli. Other illustrations are unknown.