While early depictions of stegosaurids saw these plates as being for either defence or thermoregulation,‭ ‬modern analysis has found the plates to‭ ‬not‭ ‬really be suitable for either of these purposes.‭ ‬The plates themselves are too weak and brittle to protect against a powerful bite,‭ ‬and not adapted enough for an efficient thermoregulation purpose.‭ ‬This leaves the explanation of inter species display where stegosaurids could recognise others of their‭ ‬kind by the shape and arrangement of the plates which differed between individual genera and species. Because it lacked the tall spines for muscle attachment found on the vertebrae of Stegosaurus, it was probably unable to rear up on its hind legs like that animal. This suggests that it would have eaten low-lying, ground vegetation.