Ankylosaurus

Ankylosaurus

▪ dinosaur genus
 armoured ornithischian dinosaurs that lived 70 million to 65 million years ago in North America during the Late Cretaceous Period. Ankylosaurus is a genus belonging to a larger group (infraorder Ankylosauria (dinosaur)) of related four-legged, herbivorous, heavily armoured dinosaurs that flourished throughout the Cretaceous Period (144 million to 65 million years ago).

      Ankylosaurus was one of the largest ankylosaurs, with a total length of about 10 metres (33 feet) and a probable weight of about four tons. Its head was square, flat, and broader than it was long. Its teeth, like those of the related stegosaurs (dinosaur), consisted of a simple curved row of irregularly edged (crenulated) leaf-shaped teeth. The body was short and squat, with massive legs to support its weight. Like other ankylosaurs, its back and flanks were protected from attack by thick bands of armour consisting of flat bony plates. These plates were supplemented by rows of bony spikes projecting from the animal's flanks and by bony knobs on its back. The skull was also heavily armoured and spiked. Ankylosaurus's long tail terminated in a thick “club” of bone, which it probably swung as a defense against predators. This club was formed by the last tail vertebrae, which were nested tightly against each other and a sheath of several bony plates. The armour schemes of other ankylosaurs varied somewhat, but all were well protected against attack by carnivorous dinosaurs. The earliest ankylosaurs, called nodosaurs (Nodosaurus), lacked the tail club and had rather different armour patterns.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ankylosaurus — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda ? Ankylosaurus Rango fósil: Cretácico superior …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ankylosaurus — Zeitraum Oberkreide 70,5 bis 65,5 Mio. Jahre Fundorte Nordamerika Systematik …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ankylosaurus — (n.) Cretaceous armored dinosaur, 1907, Modern Latin, from Gk. ankylos crooked (see ANGLE (Cf. angle) (n.)) + SAURUS (Cf. saurus) …   Etymology dictionary

  • Ankylosaurus — Taxobox name = Ankylosaurus fossil range = Late Cretaceous image width = 250px image caption = An Ankylosaurus skull, profile view. This specimen is from the Edmonton Formation of Alberta. regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Sauropsida… …   Wikipedia

  • Ankylosaurus — Ankylosaure Ankylosaurus …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ankylosaurus — noun Etymology: New Latin, genus name, from Greek ankylos + sauros lizard Date: 1908 any of a North American genus (Ankylosaurus) of large ankylosaurs having a bony club at the end of the tail …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ankylosaurus — noun A large, herbivorous dinosaur, of genus Ankylosaurus, that lived in the Cretaceous period, noted for its heavy armor and club like tail. Syn: ankylosaur …   Wiktionary

  • ankylosaurus — noun having the back covered with thick bony plates; thought to have walked with a sprawling gait resembling a lizard s • Syn: ↑ankylosaur • Hypernyms: ↑armored dinosaur • Hyponyms: ↑Edmontonia • Member Holonyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Ankylosaurus magniventris — Ankylosaurus Ankylosaurus Zeitraum Oberkreide 66 Mio. Jahre Fossilfundorte Nordamerika Systematik …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ankylosaurus — …   Википедия

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”