Plateosaurus was an herbivorous dinosaur from the Triassic period. Its name means broad lizard. It had the typical body shape of a herbivorous bipedal dinosaur: a small skull, a long and flexible neck composed of 10 cervical vertebrae, a stocky body, and a long, mobile tail composed of at least 40 caudal vertebrae. The arms of Plateosaurus were very short, even compared to most other "prosauropods". However, they were strongly built, with five-fingered hands with curved claws, adapted for powerful grasping.