Scutellosaurus, meaning "little-shielded lizard", was named for its tiny armored shields that it had all over its neck, back and long tail, and twice the size of its body. These were used as a defense against large meat eating predators. It walked on its hind legs, but because of its body armor, which made its body heavy at the front, it probably walked on all fours a lot of the time. Scutellosaurus had a small head compared to the size of its body. It had much shorter front arms compared to its hind legs and all of their fingers and toes had sharp pointed claws.