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| More Dinosaur Fact Sheets | EnchantedLearning.com Ankylosaurus Fact Sheet Printout Go to a Printable Version |
Dinosaur/Paleontology Dictionary |
| NAME: | Meaning - Ankylosaurus means "fused lizard" Pronounced - ang-KIE-lo-SAWR-us Named By - Barnum Brown When Named - 1908 |
| DIET: | Herbivore (plant-eater) - Ankylosaurus had to eat a huge amount of low-lying plant material to sustain itself so its gut must have been very large. It probably had a fermentation compartment to aid in the digestion of the tough plant material, producing prodigious amounts of gas! |
| SIZE: | Length - 25-35 feet (7.5-10.7 m) long Height - 4 ft (1.2 m) tall at the hips Weight - 3-4 tons |
| WHEN IT LIVED: | Late Cretaceous period, about 70-65 million years ago |
| WHERE IT LIVED: | Ankylosaurus fossils have been found in the western USA (Montana) and Canada (Alberta), North America. |
| FOSSILS: | Two Ankylosaurus skulls and three partial skeletons (including armor and a tail club) have been found. Ankylosaur trackways were found near Sucre, Bolivia, South America. |
| CLASSIFICATION: |
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| INTERESTING FACTS: |
Ankylosaurus was a tank-like dinosaur - its entire top side was heavily protected from carnivores with thick, oval plates embedded (fused) in its leathery skin, 2 rows of spikes along its body, large horns that projected from the back of the head, and a club-like tail. It even had bony plates as protection for its eyes. Only its under-belly was unplated. Among its contemporaries were the large meat-eating Tyrannosaurus, Tarbosaurus, and Deinonychus. Short of being flipped over, the Ankylosaurus was well protected from these predators, and could even defend itself with its club-like tail. |
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