Meet the Ankylosaurus, a club wielding, bone breaking brute of a dinosaur

Ankylosaurus was one of the largest ankylosaurs, a genus of armoured dinosaurs that lived throughout North America between 75 and 65.5 million years ago. Famous for both its brutal tail-mounted club and its immense bone plate armour, the Ankylosaurus was a defensive titan, capable of fending off rivals many times its size.

Ankylosaurus’s focus on defence was born out of its herbivorous nature, with its entire body geared towards the consumption of foliage. From its low-slung body, rows of leaf-shaped cropping teeth, short front legs, wide feet and cavernous stomach, the Ankylosaurus was the consummate browser, devouring vegetation whole with little shredding or chewing. Indeed, studies have indicated that the skull and jaw of the Ankylosaurus were structurally tougher than many similar, contemporary dinosaurs.

Ankylosaur

In fact, evidence suggests that Ankylosaurus – and ankylosaurs in general – were adept survivors. But despite their impressive armour, weaponry and sustainable diet, they could not cope with the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event that wiped out all terrestrial dinosaurs approximately 65.5 million years ago. Only a few fossils of this prehistoric herbivore have been excavated to date – most coming from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, USA.

The well-known tail club of the Ankylosaurus was one of the most lethal weapons sported by any dinosaur. The club was made from several large bone plates called osteoderms that were fused into the last few vertebrae of the animal’s tail. Behind these vertebrae several others lined with thick, partially ossified tendons completed the club’s handle, resulting in a structure that, when swung, was capable of dealing out a lot of damage. Indeed, a study in 2009 suggested that the tail clubs of fully grown ankylosaurs could easily crush and break bone with a force capable of caving in an assailant’s skull. Whether or not the animal purposely aimed the club to cause damage remains unclear at this point.

 

Cretaceos-Face-Off -Stephen Somers

The impressive, almost bulletproof armour of the Ankylosaurus was not magic but rather a series of interlocking bone plates called osteoderms. These bone plates, which were locked into the skin, were bone overlaid with a tough layer of keratin. The plates were located over most of the body, but were not uniform in shape nor size, with some resembling flat diamonds – as seen on crocodiles and armadillos today – and others appearing like circular nodules. The addition of these plates on top of the Ankylosaurus’s head, along with a set of pyramidal horns to its rear and a row of triangular spikes mounted to each side of the tail club meant that attacking this creature – even if you were an apex predator like the T-rex – was not a good idea.

For more amazing dinosaur facts, pick up issue 73 of How It Works magazine. Order it in print, download the digital version or subscribe today to ensure you never miss an issue!

Plus, take a look at:

The ferocious power of the famous Triceratops

T-Rex myths busted: What did Jurassic Park get wrong?

Interview with T-rex Autopsy Palaeobiologist Dr. Tori Herridge