 Stegosaurus was the first @-@ named genus of the family Stegosauridae . It is the type genus that gives its name to the family . The Stegosauridae are one of two families within the infraorder Stegosauria , with the other being the Huayangosauridae . The infraorder Stegosauria lies within the Thyreophora , or armored dinosaurs , a suborder which also includes the more diverse ankylosaurs . The stegosaurs were a clade of animals similar in appearance , posture , and shape that mainly differed in their array of spikes and plates . Among the closest relatives to Stegosaurus are Wuerhosaurus from China and Kentrosaurus from East Africa . 
