Nodosaurus
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Nodosaurus is a genus of herbivorous ankylosaurid notable for the raised armor plates that cover its back – its name translates to ‘knobbed lizard’. Adults can grow to be over 6m in length and weigh nearly four tons, consuming vast quantities of plants and shrubs every day. Its armor plates are essential for protecting Nodosaurus from predators, as its short legs and heavy frame mean that it is unable to reach high speeds to escape.
Discovery
For over a century, everything we knew about Nodosaurus came from a single specimen that was unearthed from the Frontier Formation in Wyoming and first named by celebrated paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in 1889, However, in 2011 a team of miners made an incredible discovery in Alberta, Canada – a near-complete Nodosaurus skeleton, including armored plates and even skin, that took almost six years to fully excavate.
Palaeoecology
Nodosaurus lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period, around 100-110m years ago, co-existing with other Nodosauridae such as Edmontonia. Nodosaurus’ teeth were not designed for chewing tough plants, so it is likely that it fed on small, soft plants.
Information
- Era
- Late Cretaceous
- Family
- Nodosauridae
- Genus
- Nodosaurus
- Height
- 1.9M
- Length
- 6.1M
- Weight
- 3.9T
- Diet
- Ground Paleobotany
- Egg batch size
- 1 - 2
