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Ankylosauria
Ankylosauria is a group of herbivorous dinosaurs of the clade Ornithischia. It includes the great majority of dinosaurs with armor in the form of bony osteoderms, similar to turtles. Ankylosaurs were bulky quadrupeds, with short, powerful limbs. They are known to have first appeared in North Africa during the Middle Jurassic, and persisted until the end of the Late Cretaceous. The two main families of ankylosaurians, Nodosauridae and Ankylosauridae primarily originated from the Northern Hemisphere (North America, Europe and Asia), but the more basal Parankylosauria originated from southern Gondwana (South America, Australia and Antarctica) during the Cretaceous. Ankylosauria was first named by Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1923.Osborn, H. F. (1923). "Two Lower Cretaceous dinosaurs of Mongolia." ''American Museum Novitates'', 95: 1–1/ref> In the Linnaean classification system, the group is usually considered either a suborder or an infraorder. It is contained within the group ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parankylosauria
Parankylosauria is a group of Basal (phylogenetics), basal ankylosaurian dinosaurs known from the Cretaceous of South America, Antarctica, and Australia. It is thought the group split from other ankylosaurs during the mid-Jurassic period, despite this being unpreserved in the fossil record. History of research During the Mesozoic era, the southern continents (South America, Antarctica, Australia, and Africa in addition to Indian subcontinent, India and Zealandia) were unified into a supercontinent known as Gondwana. This was in contrast to the supercontinent of Laurasia in the Northern Hemisphere, with both originating from the breakup of Pangaea. Gondwana itself gradually split apart over the course of the Jurassic and Cretaceous eras. Ankylosaurian dinosaurs from Laurasia have historically been far more extensively recorded and studied. Reports of the group in Gondwana date back to 1904, with a specimen from Australia and include referrals of ''Loricosaurus'', ''Lametasaurus'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minmi Paravertebra
''Minmi'' is a genus of small herbivorous ankylosaurian dinosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous Period of Australia, about 120 to 112 million years ago. Discovery and species In 1964, Dr Alan Bartholomai, a collaborator of the Queensland Museum, discovered a chalkstone nodule containing an ankylosaurian skeleton in Queensland near Minmi Crossing, along the Injun Road, one kilometre south of Mack Gulley, north of Roma. In 1980, Ralph E. Molnar named and described the type species, in this case the only species known in the genus, ''Minmi paravertebra''. The generic name, at the time the shortest of a Mesozoic dinosaur, refers to Minmi Crossing. The meaning of "minmi" itself is uncertain; it refers to a large lily in the local aboriginal language but might also be derived from '' min min'', a kind of will-o'-the-wisp. The specific name refers to strange bone elements found along the vertebrae, for which Molnar coined the designation ''paravertebrae''. The holotype, QM ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nodosauridae
Nodosauridae is a family of ankylosaurian dinosaurs known from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous periods in what is now Asia, Europe, North America, and possibly South America. While traditionally regarded as a monophyletic clade as the sister taxon to the Ankylosauridae, some analyses recover it as a paraphyletic grade leading to the ankylosaurids. Description Nodosaurids, like their sister group the ankylosaurids, were heavily armored dinosaurs adorned with rows of bony armor nodules and spines (osteoderms), which were covered in keratin sheaths. Ankylosaurians were small- to large-sized, heavily built, quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs, possessing small, leaf-shaped teeth. Unlike ankylosaurids, nodosaurids lacked mace-like tail clubs and instead had more flexible tail tips. Many nodosaurids had spikes projecting outward from their shoulders. One particularly well-preserved nodosaurid "mummy", the holotype of '' Borealopelta markmitchelli'', preserves a nearly comple ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gastonia (dinosaur)
''Gastonia'' is a genus of herbivorous ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of North America, around 139 to 125.77 million years ago. It is often considered a nodosaurid closely related to ''Polacanthus''. ''Gastonia'' has a sacral shield and large shoulder spikes. Discovery and species The type specimen of ''Gastonia burgei'' ( CEUM 1307) was discovered in a bonebed from the limestone strata of the lower Cedar Mountain Formation in Yellow Cat Quarry, Grand County, eastern Utah, the type specimen consisting of a single skull. The type specimen was found alongside 4 partial skeletons of ''Gastonia that'' were placed as paratypes, along with the type specimen of '' Utahraptor'' and an iguanodontid. ''Gastonia'' is among the most common dinosaur fossils in the Cedar Mountain Formation, with many individuals being found across several quarries in the southwest.Kirkland, J.I. (1998). A polacanthine ankylosaur (Ornithischia: Dinosauria) from the Early Cretaceous (Barre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spicomellus
''Spicomellus'' is an extinct genus of early ankylosaurian dinosaur from the El Mers III Formation (Bathonian-Callovian) of Morocco. The genus contains a single species, ''S. afer'', known from a single rib with fused osteoderms. ''Spicomellus'' represents the oldest named ankylosaur. Discovery and naming The ''Spicomellus'' holotype specimen, NHMUK PV R37412, was discovered in layers of the El Mers III Formation near Boulahfa in Boulemane, Fès-Meknès region, Morocco. It was later acquired by London's Natural History Museum from a commercial fossil dealer. The specimen consists of a single rib with four co-ossified spines. The holotype was CT scanned and histologically sectioned to confirm that it was an ankylosaurian. In 2021, Maidment et al. described ''Spicomellus afer'' as a new genus and species of ankylosaurian thyreophoran based on these fossil remains. The generic name, ''Spicomellus'', combines the Latin words ''spica'', meaning "spike" and ''mellum'', which refe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mymoorapelta
''Mymoorapelta'' (Meaning "Shield from the Mygatt-Moore Quarry" after a combination of the names of the discoverers of the Mygatt-Moore Quarry that fossils were originally collected from, and the Greek word πέλτα, meaning "shield") is a Nodosauridae, nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian, around 155 to 150 million years ago) Morrison Formation (Brushy Basin Member) of western Colorado and central Utah, United States, USA. The animal is known from a single species, ''Mymoorapelta maysi'', and few specimens are known. The most complete specimen is the holotype individual from the Mygatt-Moore Quarry, which includes , a partial , , and other bones. It was initially described by James Kirkland (paleontologist), James Kirkland and Kenneth Carpenter in 1994. Along with ''Gargoyleosaurus'', it is one of the earliest known nodosaurids. ''Mymoorapelta'' is one of the smaller known nodosaurids, with the estimated length of the largest specimen only reach ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Borealopelta
''Borealopelta'' (meaning "Northern shield") is a genus of nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of what is today Alberta, Canada. It contains a single species, ''B. markmitchelli'', named in 2017 by Caleb Brown and colleagues from a well-preserved specimen known as the ''Suncor nodosaur''. Discovered at an oil sands mine north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, the specimen is remarkable for being among the best-preserved dinosaur fossils of its size ever found. It preserved not only the armor (''osteoderms'') in their life positions, but also remains of their keratin sheaths, overlying skin, and stomach contents from the animal's last meal. Melanosomes were also found that indicate the animal had a reddish pinkish skin tone. Discovery and history The holotype specimen was uncovered on March 21, 2011, at the Millennium Mine, an oil sands mine north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, that is owned and operated by Suncor Energy. It was discovered by a miner, Shawn Funk, who was diggi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tianzhenosaurus
''Tianzhenosaurus'' (meaning “Tianzhen County, Tianzhen lizard”) is a genus of ankylosaurid dinosaurs known from the Late Cretaceous Huiquanpu Formation of Shanxi Province, China. The genus contains two species, ''T. youngi'' (the type species) and ''T. chengi''. Some researchers have suggested that ''Tianzhenosaurus'' may represent a junior synonym of ''Saichania'', an ankylosaurine from the Barun Goyot Formation, Barun Goyot and Nemegt Formation, Nemegt formations. Discovery and naming In 1983, Pang Qiqing and Cheng Zhengwu discovered articulated cervical vertebrae of an ankylosaurid from the Shanxi Province. Numerous excavations at the site yielded more than 2,300 specimens belonging to sauropoda, sauropods, theropoda, theropods, ornithopoda, ornithopods and ankylosaurid specimens. The holotype specimen of ''Tianzhenosaurus youngi'', HBV-10001, consists of a partial skull. Two paratype specimens were assigned to this species: HBV-10002 (an incomplete mandible and HBV-10003 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edmontonia
''Edmontonia'' is a genus of panoplosaurin nodosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period. It is part of the Nodosauridae, a family within Ankylosauria. It is named after the Edmonton Formation (now the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in Canada), the unit of rock where it was found. Description Size and general build ''Edmontonia'' was bulky, broad and tank-like. Its length has been estimated at 6.6 m (22 ft). In 2010, Gregory S. Paul considered both main ''Edmontonia'' species, ''E. longiceps'' and ''E. rugosidens'', to be equally long at six metres and weigh three tonnes.Paul, G.S., 2010, ''The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs'', Princeton University Press p. 238 ''Edmontonia'' had small, oval ridged bony plates on its back and head and many sharp spikes along its sides. The four largest spikes jutted out from the shoulders on each side, the second of which was split into subspines in ''E. rugosidens'' specimens. Its skull had a pear-like shape when viewed from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vectipelta
''Vectipelta'' (meaning "Isle of Wight shield") is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur recovered from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation of England. The genus contains a Monotypic taxon, single species, ''V. barretti'', known from a partial skeleton including several osteoderms. It was historically known as the "Spearpoint ankylosaur" prior to its description. Discovery and naming The ''Vectipelta'' holotype specimens, Dinosaur Isle, IWCMS 1996.153 and IWCMS 2021.75, were discovered in November 1993 (nine vertebrae by Gavin Leng) and March 1994 (by Lin Spearpoint) in sediments of the Wessex Formation near Chilton Chine on the Isle of Wight, England. The holotype consists of a partial skeleton including many Cervical vertebrae, cervical, Dorsal vertebrae, dorsal, Sacral vertebrae, sacral, and caudal vertebrae, partial Shoulder girdle, pectoral and Pelvis, pelvic girdles, elements of the fore- and hindlimbs, and several osteoderms. At first the remains were assigned to ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Denversaurus
''Denversaurus'' (meaning "Denver lizard") is a genus of panoplosaurin nodosaurid dinosaur from the late Maastrichtian of Late Cretaceous Western North America. Although at one point treated as a junior synonym of '' Edmontonia'' by some taxonomists, current research indicates that it is its own distinct nodosaurid genus. Discovery and naming In 1986, the paleontologists Kenneth Carpenter and Brent Breithaupt described DMNH 468 which was a specimen of a late Maastrichtian nodosaurid, tentatively assigned to '' Edmontonia'' sp., discovered from the lower Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. In 1988, Robert Thomas Bakker decided to split the genus ''Edmontonia''. The species ''Edmontonia rugosidens'' was made into a separate genus named ''Chassternbergia'' and DMNH 468 was designated as a holotype of a new genus and species. The type species of this genus was ''Denversaurus schlessmani''. The generic name referred to the Denver Museum of Natural History at Denver, Colorado ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarcolestes
''Sarcolestes'' (meaning "flesh robber") is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian ornithischian dinosaur from the Oxford Clay of England. The current type and only species is ''S. leedsi'', and the holotype is a single partial left mandible. The genus and species were named in 1893 by Richard Lydekker, who thought they belonged to a theropod. Discovery ''Sarcolestes'' was first named in 1893 by Richard Lydekker, and its type species was designated as ''S. leedsi''. The specific name was to honour Alfred Nicholson Leeds, the discoverer of the specimen, and many others like it. The holotype and only specimen, is a partial left mandible and fused scute that was damaged during excavation. The jaw preserved one entire tooth and two crown tips in its alveolus, with the missing bone in the central section of the mandible. It lacks a preserved predentary, even though the entire mandibular symphysis is preserved and complete. Classification Originally, Lydekker found that ''Sarcolestes' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
