Euoplocephalus
A heavily armored ankylosaurid with a tail club from Late Cretaceous Canada.
Euoplocephalus is a genus of large herbivorous ankylosaurid dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Canada. It is known from a number of almost complete skeletons, making its build well understood, though recent research has limited authentic finds to about a dozen specimens.
- length
- 5.3 meters (17 ft)
- mass
- 2 metric tons (2.2 short tons)
- time_period
- Late Cretaceous
- location
- Canada
- diet
- Herbivore
Lore & Background
Recently, experts have reversed this, limiting authentic finds to about a dozen specimens, though these include several almost complete skeletons.
Reader's Guide
Euoplocephalus reached 5.3 meters in length and weighed about 2 metric tons. Its body was low-slung, flat, and wide, standing on four sturdy legs. The head had a short drooping snout with a horny beak for biting plants, which were digested in a large gut. Like other ankylosaurids, it was largely covered by bony armor plates, including rows of large high-ridged oval scutes, and the neck was protected by two bone rings. It could actively defend itself against predators such as Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus, and Gorgosaurus using a heavy club at the end of its tail. The skull resembles a truncated equilateral triangle, slightly wider than long, with closed antorbital and upper temporal fenestrae. The tail club was not originally depicted with spikes; old restorations showing two large vertical spikes were based on an error.
Did You Know?
- Euoplocephalus could defend itself against predators like Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus, and Gorgosaurus using a heavy tail club.
- Old restorations showing a tail club with two large vertical spikes were based on an error by Franz Nopcsa.
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