ANKYLOSAURUS
Ankylosaurus is arguably the king of all armoured animals, its own name means “stiff reptile” and it walked the Earth around 70 million years in the late Cretaceous period. Estimated to reach from anywhere up to 7 to 10 metres long and weighing almost 7 tonnes, this was a formidable opponent for any predator.
Ankylosaurus didn’t rely on knowledge or a big brain, its ultimate defence was its armour. Its back was covered in thick bony plates which had a layered molecular structure that is similar to how we make bulletproof vests today, although its bones were a huge amount stronger. Its skull was extremely thick, so much so that there was little room for its brain, even the eyelids were covered with bone!
Despite Ankylosaurus’ fierce armour, it was a herbivore that had a sharp beak to slice vegetation, it was unable to chew food or break it down, so digestion did most of the work, as with most herbivores.
Ankylosaurus had immense defence against Cretaceous predators including the infamous Tyrannosaurus, its back plates were essentially a shield, the bone was virtually impervious to a dinosaur bite. Possibly the most the recognisable trait was the clubbed tail, which was a fearsome weapon. The club and tail would swing and the tail muscles could slam the club into another animal if Ankylosaurus was threatened. The bony club was capable of serious damage, it would easily have shattered other dinosaurs bones leaving the ankylosaurus unharmed. The structure of the club meant that it could deliver a huge hit, but the pressure of it would be absorbed very easily.
First discovered in 1908 by palaeontologist, Barnum Brown. The dinosaur is mostly known from many incomplete specimens, but Ankylosaurus was an impressive animal and was one of the last dinosaurs to roam the Earth. Along with the giant Tyrannosaur, Triceratops and the other extraordinary beasts of the Cretaceous, they met their fate 65 million years ago when a meteor ended the reign of the dinosaurs.