Imagine a barrel-like dinosaur, like a walking suit of armor. Ankylosaurus is a slow-moving plant-eater from the Cretaceous Period, roaming the North American continent.
What made Ankylosaurus special was its bone club at the end of its tail! Predators that come too close would risk a powerful hammer swing from an Ankylosaurus.
Though it wasn’t fast, it had a strong body, bony plates, spikes, and built-in defenses; it was one of the toughest dinosaurs of all time!
Ankylosaurus Basic Information
- Name: Ankylosaurus
- Pronunciation: an-KEE-loh-SAW-rus
- Meaning: Stiff lizard
- Time-Period: Late Cretaceous (66 – 70 MYA)
- Group: Ankylosauria
- Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Reptilia/Sauropsida
- Family: Ankylosauridae
- Subfamily: Ankylosaurinae
- Tribe: Ankylosaurini
- Genus: Ankylosaurus
- Species: Ankylosaurus magniventris
- Diet: herbivore
- Fossil Locations: Montana, Wyoming, USA; Alberta, Canada
Where Did Ankylosaurus Live?
During the Cretaceous Period in North America, there was much more flooding due to higher sea levels.
Their fossils have been found in:
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Alberta (Canada)
There would have been lots of low-growing plant life that the Ankylosaurus could eat. Especially due to its weak jaw, there would have been lots of soft, pulpy vegetation in these areas.
Ankylosaurus Physical Characteristics
The length of Half a bowling lane, and squat like a barrel, Ankylosaurus was a giant, fully armored dinosaur.
With plates, spikes, horns, and a club tail, Ankylosaurus was fully protected from predators despite its unprotected underbelly.
With poor senses aside from smell, this dinosaur likely relied on its natural protection from predators and its sense of smell to detect them.
- Size (Length/Height): 33 feet (10 meters)
- Notable Features: To defend itself, it had a back full of oval-shaped plates and spikes, as well as a thick club tail.
- Weight: 4 tons
- Appearance: Walking on four legs, squat to the ground. It had a very wide barrel-shaped body, with a short neck. Its forelegs were shorter than its hind legs, limiting its posture.
- Teeth: With thin, leaf-shaped teeth, this dinosaur had relatively delicate teeth with serrations for cropping vegetation rather than chewing.
- Eyesight: Relatively poor.
- Smell: Ankylosaurus had loops and swists in its nasal passage, allowing it to warm the air and gain water from the air, leading to an enhanced sense of smell.
- Hearing: Relatively poor; they could only hear low frequencies.
What Did Ankylosaurus Eat?
Being sloped downwards, Ankylosaurus could only feed on plants that were low to the ground.
With teeth for cropping, it likely ate vegetation such as:
- ferns
- cycads
- Angiosperms
Next, let’s look at some fun facts!
Fun Facts
- Last and Largest of Armored Dinosaurs: Being around 33feet (10 meters) long, it was the largest of the armored dinosaurs.
- Dug Up By Farm Hands: The paleontologist Barnum Brown found a specimen in 1910 and paid local ranchers to dig it up for him. When he returned a year later, the ranchers had excavated 1180 cubic yards of sandstone, mostly by hand.
- Fused Bone Armor: The spikes covering its back and head were actually fused with its bones, with flexible armor plates and skin surrounding the bone. Even its club at the end of its tail is actually an enlarged spinal vertebrate.