Ankylosaurs Facts – Armored Lizard

Ankylosaurs is always compared to an army tank, sometimes to a bus. This occurs because it goes with a large club which is synonymous to a protrusion. This is evident to the end of the tail of the mentioned animal. This is one of the popular ankylosaurs facts. Ankylosaurs originates from the meaning fused lizard. This is how it has been in Greek. There were claims saying that it was given the said name because of the bones it goes along with. These are all found in the skull. Aside from this, the other parts of its body are also fused, which is another distinct quality.

The dinosaur is rugged because of it being infused, as mentioned above. The Ankylosaurs always lived in the period of Cretaceous. This occurred for an approximate 65 million years ago. Since then, it roamed over the Western United States. This is also realized and experienced on United States and even on Alberta, Canada.

Studies about Ankylosaurs

In the year 2004, re-examination was undertaken concerning the herbivorous dinosaur. This was undertaken and pioneered by Kenneth Carpenter. This was the time when he was able to downsize the process. He did it a bit. The study was also conducted with the presence of the specimen of Ankylosaurs. This was the largest measuring to 20.5 feet. According to most studies around, one of which was published in the so called work of Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, the given specimen even weighed to four tons. If converted, it would be 3.6 metric tons.

A thick armor can be observed on the top of the dinosaur. This goes with massive knobs and even that of oval plates for bones. These are sometimes referred to as the scouts or the osteoderms. These are commonly seen on armadillos, lizards and even crocodiles. These bones are responsible in forming within the skin. These are comparable to crocodiles.

When it comes to protection, Ankylosaurs goes with two rows of spikes. These are found within its body. The head can be low and long. This is of prominent horns and it can project back to the plates and sides which are all going to have the eyes protected. Even without the presence of defenses though, this would make predators hard and a struggle to kill. This happens because they have rotund body. They are also wider and even deeper. According to a scientist named Carpenter, it will be hard to have a purchase on the body because it is flat. This is not just about having armor.

Apart from the armor itself, there is also another defining characteristic known. This is for the tail club. The tail contains vertebrae which are woven together in order for a stiff rod to be formed. The base of this is perceived at the end. There had been an evolution for the stiff tail. This occurred prior to the knob. Even in the year 2015, studies are still being made. Proposals and hypotheses are still undertaken in order to explain the specie even more clearly.