At a glance
• Large armoured herbivore that walked on four short legs
• The stiff tail ended in a large bony club
General
Ankylosaurus literally means "Fused, stiff, or bent Lizard".
It was the last and largest of the Ankylosaurs that also includes Euoplocephalus,
Heishansaurus, Peishansaurus and Shamosaurus. It lived in the late Cretaceous
Period, about 70-65 million years ago. It was relatively fast and agile
and could defend itself from predators like Tyrannosaurus
Rex with its club-like tail. The entire top side was heavily armoured
and flipping it over was the only way to wound it.
Fossils
Three partial Ankylosaurus skeletons have been found in the western
USA (Montana) and Canada (Alberta). But trackways has been found in Bolivia,
South America.
Anatomy
Ankylosaurus was about 25-35 feet (7.5-10.7 m) long and 4 feet (1.2
m) tall. It weighed roughly 3-4 tons. The neck, body and tail had thick
bony plates of varying sizes embedded in the leathery skin. The eyes was
protected by bony plates that acted like shutters. It had two rows of spikes
along the body and large horns that projected from the back of the wide
skull.
Diet and behavior
The finding of a large number of isolated fossils of other Ankylosaurs
suggest that they lived alone. They wandered through the woods, eating
large amounts of lower plants. |
