How It Works-Book Of Dinosaurs

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 fl at 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.

You shall

not pass!

© A lamy; Gett y

Rear leg

Equally powerful – if not

more so – but longer than

the Ankylosaurus’s forelegs,

the rear legs reached up to

about 1.7m (5.6ft) at the hip

Club

The characteristic tail club

of Ankylosaurus was made

from numerous osteoderms,

each fused to the last few

vertebrae of the tail

Spine

At key areas Ankylosaurus

also sported bony spines for

extra protection or – in the

case of those mounted to the

side of the tail club – greater

offensive capabilities

Tail

A medium-sized tail – also

armoured with bone

plates – helped balance

the weighty Ankylosaurus

and provided the power to

cause maximum damage

with its club

Ankylosaurus was tough enough to

go up against the most fearsome

dinosaurs and come out on top

Ankylosaurus vs human

How would this dino have sized up to a person?

10m

2.5m

DID YOU KNOW? (^) Interestingly the earliest specimens of ankylosaurs we have found did not possess a tail club
“Ankylosaurus’s focus on
defence was born out of
its herbivorous nature”