Dinosaur with a bump on its tail. Armored dinosaurs: Ankylosaurus and Nodocephalosaurus
During the Cretaceous period, the dinosaurs of South America became, for reasons unknown to science, increasingly larger and more ferocious than their counterparts in other parts of the globe. Giganotosaurus is an eight to ten ton, three-toed predator. By the way, its remains were discovered in close proximity to the remains of Argentinosaurus, one of the largest dinosaurs in the world... The inevitable conclusion is that Giganotosaurus was one of the few theropods capable of destroying Argentinosaurus! . For more on this scenario, see Giganotosaurus vs. Argentinosaurus – Who Wins?
Utahraptor
Utahraptor was one of the most dangerous predators in the Cretaceous period. Its adults weighed almost a ton. Utahraptors are characterized by the following features: single curved claws, similar in appearance
on a medieval sword and a Swiss army knife. Ironically, this giant-sized predator lived 50 million years before its more famous descendants, who were much smaller but much faster.
Tyrannosaurus Rex
We will never know if Tyrannosaurus Rex was stronger than giants like Albertosaurus or Alioramus. Did he hunt live prey or spend most of his time looking for carrion. In any case, there is no doubt that the T. Rex was simply the perfect killing machine when the circumstances called for it, given its weight of 5 to 8 tons, keen eyesight and huge head covered with numerous sharp teeth. True, his tiny paws - hands, from a human point of view, gave this dinosaur king a slightly comical appearance.
Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus had the same weight class as Giganotosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex. The North African Spinosaurus had the added evolutionary advantage of being the world's first identified dinosaur that could swim. This ten-ton predator spent its days near deep-sea rivers and ponds, snatching fish with massive crocodile-like jaws and occasionally diving like a shark to hunt small dinosaurs.
Majungasaurus
Majungasaurus, once known as Majungatol, was called a cannibal dinosaur by the press. The discovery of ancient Majungasaurus bones, which show bite marks from the teeth of Majungasaurs, is good evidence that these monotonous theropods hunted their relatives (of course, when they were very hungry, or perhaps they ate their already dead relatives). These predators were greatly feared by the smaller dinosaurs of their range.
Ankylosaurus
The armored dinosaur Ankylosaurus was a genetic relative of Stegosaurus. These dinosaurs defended their enemies equally. The Stegosaurus had a spiked sledgehammer at the end of its tail, the Ankylosaurus was equipped with a massive 45-kilogram tail hammer, in appearance reminiscent of a medieval mace. Purposefully swinging such a mace could easily break the back leg of a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex or even tear apart the jaws of an enemy. True, there is an assumption that the ankylosaur could also use its tail during intraspecific combat during the mating season.
Allosaurus
Allosaurus was a more brutal predator than the much later Tyrannosaurus Rex. Numerous specimens of this ferocious, powerful, three-ton meat eater have been discovered in the western United States. Yes, he was deadly, but not very smart.
Diplodocus
The fact is that this 30-meter huge sauropod had one thing for protection - a seven-meter thin tail, which, according to some paleontologists, it could use like a whip when striking, and the impact speed was supersonic. Apparently, thanks to this technique, Diplodocus kept such a predator as Allosaurus at bay. Of course, Diplodocus (not to mention Brasiosaurus and Apatosaurus) could simply trample the enemy with its huge, flat hind legs. By the way, filmmakers prefer to show a brighter “tail catcher” in their scripts than simple trampling.
Troodon
The feathered dinosaur Troodon weighed only about 68 kg, about the same as an adult human weighs. It is interesting to know that this predator did not have particularly sharp and terrible teeth. This theropod was distinguished by its relatively large brain, at least compared to other carnivorous dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous of North America. There is an assumption that Troodon hunted in packs together with its relatives at night (its large eyes could see well in the dark). Troodonts could easily compete in their bloodthirstiness with T. Rex itself!
The ankylosaur was real tank of the Mesozoic era. Its body was covered with powerful armor, and on its tail there was a powerful bone bump. Ankylosaurus was dangerous even for a ferocious tyrannosaurus or Albertosaurus. Ankylosaurs received their name in honor of the characteristic curvature, sharp concavity of the body ribs outward (translated from Greek, curved, curved)
The head at the base of the skull was protected by triangular-shaped bony protrusions. The teeth were located deep in the mouth and were very small. The jaws were poorly developed, but were still suitable for chewing soft plant food.Limbs and body structure:
Ankylosaurs are large dinosaurs that walk on four short and powerful legs. The ankylosaur's body was as long as a bus.
The ankylosaur had a large, heavy bony "club" at the end of its tail. The size of the mace was approximately 5-6 times larger than a human head. Swinging such a mace, the dinosaur could deliver incredible blows to its enemies.The dinosaur looked flattened on top and would even resemble a turtle, if not for its powerful tail with a heavy bone club at the end. The dinosaur's tail, with a club at the end, was driven by muscles located at the base of the tail.
Protection:
Ankylosaurus lived at the same time as dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus and Albertosaurus. This is most likely the reason for such equipment. The Ankylosaurus was practically unapproachable from above. Given the rise of predatory therapods at the time, the ankylosaur was ideally protected.
Noticing the danger, the ankylosaur immediately went on the defensive. The ankylosaur's brain was tiny. Therefore, in case of danger, it could automatically attack theropods.
The dinosaur turned sideways to the attacker and, swinging its mace-like tail from side to side, waited for the moment to strike. With one such blow, the ankylosaur could not only make it clear to theropod predators that it was unlikely to have lunch here, but even seriously injure the attacker. With one blow, the ankylosaur could break a bone or damage the internal organs of a predatory dinosaur.
Despite this seemingly invulnerability, the ankylosaur had a weak point. The fact is that the armor only covered the upper half of the dinosaur. The ankylosaur's belly was not protected. If predators managed to turn the ankylosaur onto its back, it had no chance of salvation.
But turning over a dinosaur weighing 4 tons is not an easy task.
Lifestyle:
Herbivorous dinosaurs often lead a herd lifestyle. This helps them protect themselves from predatory dinosaurs. To date, paleontologists have not discovered a massive accumulation of remains of ankylosaurs, as was the case with Triceratops. Most likely, ankylosaurs lived alone.
Ankylosaurs may have had very few young. At the end of the Cretaceous period, this became a common problem among all dinosaurs. According to scientists, this is due to changes in the environment.
Adult ankylosaurs could live for a very long time because their armor and spines made them virtually invulnerable. Good protection was the key to the success of ankylosaurs.
Ankylosaurus is the largest known armored dinosaur, reaching up to 6.25 meters (20.5 ft) in length, 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) in width and 1.7 m (5.6 ft) at the hip. This length was proposed by American paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter and is based on the largest known skull (specimen NMC 8880), which is 64.5 cm (25.4 in) long and 74.5 cm (29.3 in) wide. The smallest known skull (specimen AMNH 5214) is 55.5 cm (21.9 in) long and 64.5 cm (25.4 in) wide, the specimen is estimated to be 5.4 m (17.7 ft) in long and about 1.4 m (4.6 ft) wide. Some authors estimate the body length of an adult ankylosaur from 7 m (23 ft) to 8-9 m (26.2-29.5 ft). The ankylosaur was covered from head to tail with dense, bony armor, consisting of individual plates. Large triangular horn-like protrusions protected the base of the skull. Osteoderms ranged from 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter to 35.5 cm (14.0 in) in length and varied in shape. The ankylosaur's tail was massive and ended in a heavy bony tuber. In the specimen (AMNH 5214) it measures 45 cm (18 in) wide.
Scientists believe that the thickening at the end of the tail was formed from bony nodes, originally covered with skin, which, as they grew, were connected very tightly, so that the end of the tail was very rigid and durable. The movements of the header were concentrated and controlled by special muscles located at the base of the tail and usually used to move the hind limb back when walking. With the help of these muscles, the animal could move its tail from side to side.
Nutrition and lifestyle
Their appetite was excellent, as evidenced by the size of their digestive organs. The squat build made it easy to pluck low-growing vegetation. The powerful bird-like beak of the ankylosaur helped to bite off even hard tree branches.
In that world, groups of animals moved measuredly across rocky plains in search of green oases that promised cherished rest and watering holes. Despite their slowness, in moments of danger, ankylosaurs acted decisively, clearly following the instincts developed by nature. This helped protect even from large theropods, for example, the tyrannosaurs that lived at that time.
A serious surge in popularity for this lizard was observed at the beginning of the era of space technology, after the presentation of its artificial full-size model at the 1964 World's Fair in New York.
Protection
Ankylosaurus mainly relied on 3 things: camouflage, armor, and a mace. Osteoderms and spines on its shell could perfectly help hide from predators in fallen leaves or dense vegetation. If it was not possible to hide, and the predator noticed the ankylosaur, then it would dig a hole in the ground with its powerful paws and lie down in it to protect its soft belly. He swung his tail from side to side, trying to scare away the predator, and if he came closer, the ankylosaur could hit him with great force with his mace. Such a blow could knock out several of the enemy's teeth or even break a leg.
Mace on the tail
Ankylosaurus tail club, American Museum of Natural History
The famous ankylosaur tail club also consisted of several large osteoderms that were attached to the last few caudal vertebrae. It was heavy and rested on seven vertebrae at the tip of the tail, which were firmly connected, forming a rigid rod at the base of the club. Tendons were attached to these vertebrae, which provided reliable protection. These tendons were somewhat stiff and lacked elasticity, which, when swinging the tail, allowed a significant force impulse to be transmitted to the end of the tail. Most likely, it was an active defensive weapon that had significant destructive power and could break the bones of an attacker or knock over even the largest predators, including a tyrannosaurus. In addition, when attacking two-legged predators, the position was much less stable than that of the ankylosaur. All this most likely doomed the carnivores to a long, painful death. A 2009 study found that "large tail bulges could generate enough force on impact to break bones, but small bulges did not have this ability" and that "tail swinging is a highly plausible behavior in ankylosaurids, but is not known to have been used either the tail during interspecies fighting or intraspecific fights, or in both cases.” It was also suggested that the tail club was, as it were, a “false target” for the predator, since from a distance he could mistake it for the head. However, this hypothesis is currently widely disputed.
In popular culture
Since the Ankylosaurus was first described in 1908, the public has known it as the archetypal armored dinosaur, and thanks to its memorable appearance and the public's increased interest in dinosaurs, it has remained a part of popular culture around the world for many years. The ankylosaur's fame was greatly enhanced by its life-size reconstruction, which appeared at the 1964 World's Fair in New York. Ankylosaurus is mentioned in the 1955 Japanese kaiju film Godzilla Strikes Again as the ancestor of the mutant monster Anguirus. Anguirus, there are many variations in pronunciation and spelling). From 1955 to 2004, Anguirus appeared in seven Godzilla films. He has also appeared regularly in books, television shows, and video games.
Classification of ankylosaurs
According to the generally accepted classification, belong to the group of ankylosaurs: Scelidosaurus, Nodosaurus, Acanthopholis, Polacanthus, Sauropelta, Paleoscincus, Panoplosaurus, Talarur, Euoplocephalus and the Ankylosaurus itself.
Rice. 1 – Ankylosaurs
Scelidosaurus was the first in the chain of armored dinosaurs. It arose 100 million years earlier than the ankylosaur, reached 3.5 m in length, and fed on palm-shaped cycads and ferns. The bony plates and spines of its shell formed 7 rows along the body, so the name of the ancestor of the ankylosaur translated from Latin means "dismembered lizard".
Nodosaur had a slender body, a narrow head, a loose, rather weak armored shield and a pointed tail. The nodosaur owes its name to the large nodes that covered the skin of the lizard.
Acanthopholis reached 5 m in length, had a sharp tip on the tail, and its shoulders and neck were dotted with rows of short spines.
Polacanthus had a similar structure and differed only in the size of the double-sided spines, which were twice as large as those of Acanthopholis.
The largest animal groups of ankylosaurs arose during the last period of their existence on Earth.
Sauropelta had strong solid armor and was particularly massive, as it weighed 3 tons and reached 7 m in length.
Paleoscincus, nicknamed "ancient lizard", And panoplosaurus, whose name stands for "lizard with a solid tail", lived on the planet at the end of the era of dinosaurs and were considered real giants.
Talarur reached 6 m in length, had a strong solid armored shield and a tail, the tip of which resembled a mace. The remains of a dinosaur discovered in Mongolia indicate that the thickness of the bony armor plates was 5 cm.
Euoplocephalus means "typical armored head". This large ten-meter ankylosaur could easily fend for itself thanks to its powerful tail. Its back part was made of ossified tendons, which turned the limb into a kind of rigid handle with a thickening at the end, which could be used to deliver dangerous targeted blows.
The most dangerous among the listed representatives of the group were themselves ankylosaurs from the suborder ornithischians, which were also called "tank reptiles". These were squat ten-meter armored dinosaurs with a wide head, a powerful body, reliably protected by strong armor, and a tail with a dangerous tip in the form of a mace.
When did dinosaurs appear?
Documented evidence indicates the appearance of dinosaurs about two hundred and forty million years ago. If the history of the Earth is compressed to 1 year, considering that the birth of the Earth occurred on January 1, then the first life appeared no earlier than the end of March. The first dinosaurs would have appeared in mid-December. The first people would appear only a few hours before the end of the year.
How many animals have gone extinct?
More than 99.9 percent of the animals that have ever lived on Earth went extinct before the advent of humans.
The oldest reptile.
Unidentified (insectivorous) (1972) was found in Kentucky, USA, with an estimated age of 310,000,000 years.
Dinosaurs from the Mesozoic era.
The development of the Earth is divided into five periods of time called eras. The first two eras, Archeozoic and Proterozoic, lasted 4 billion years, that is, almost 80% of all earth history. During the Archeozoic, the formation of the Earth occurred, water and oxygen appeared. About 3.5 billion years ago, the first tiny bacteria and algae appeared. During the Proterozoic era, about 700 years ago, the first animals appeared in the sea. These were primitive invertebrate creatures, such as worms and jellyfish.
The Paleozoic era began 590 million years ago and lasted 342 million years. Then the Earth was covered with swamps. During the Paleozoic, large plants, fish and amphibians appeared. The Mesozoic era began 248 million years ago and lasted 183 million years. At this time, the Earth was inhabited by huge dinosaur lizards. The first mammals and birds also appeared. The Cenozoic era began 65 million years ago and continues to this day. At this time, the plants and animals that surround us today arose.
The most primitive dinosaur...
...believed to be Eoraptor lunensis. He was given this name in 1993, when his skeleton was found in the foothills of the Andes in Argentina, in rocks that are 228 million years old. The body length of this dinosaur reached 1 m. It was classified as a theropod (a predatory dinosaur from the ornithischian order).
Lifespan of dinosaurs.
Most dinosaurs lived more than a hundred years.
The largest animals.
Dinosaurs were the largest animals in the entire history of the Earth. One of the largest dinosaurs was the supersaurus Supersaurus. He weighed the same as 10 elephants. Herbivorous dinosaurs reached enormous sizes. Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus were especially large, up to 30 meters in length. Sauropods are representatives of a suborder of saurischian dinosaurs that were distinguished by a long neck, a long tail and walked on four legs. These herbivorous dinosaurs inhabited most of the land during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, 208-65 million years ago.
Diplodocus.
Diplodocus, who lived during the Cretaceous period, had a body length of more than 25 m; he lived in North America.
Dinosaurs had five fingers.
The land dwellers, tetrapods, were four-legged amphibians with five toes on each foot, and loved to walk along the coastal sand of ancient seas and oceans. These are the traces, 360 to 345 million years old, that were recently discovered in eastern Canada - the oldest known to date.
The most ridiculous dinosaur is the Therizinosaurus.
Therizinosaurs had bird-like legs, a snout ending in a toothless beak, and each paw had four functional toes.
The heaviest dinosaurs...
...there were probably: the titanosaur Antarctosaurus giganteus (giant Antarctic lizard), weighing 40-80 tons, the fossil remains of which were found in India and Argentina; brachiosaur Brachiosaurus altithorax (arm lizard), named for its long forelimbs (45-55 t); diplodocus Seismosaurus halli (earth-shaking lizard) and Supersaurus vivianae (both weighed more than 50 tons, and according to some estimates, was close to 100 tons). The estimated weight of the Argentine titanosaur - Argentinosaurus - was up to 100 tons. Estimates made in 1994 were based on the size of its giant vertebrae.
Armored dinosaurs.
Ankylosaurs are the most armored of the dinosaurs. Their back and head were protected by bone plates, horns and spikes. The body reached a width of 2.5 m. A distinctive feature was the large club with which the tail ended.
The tallest dinosaur.
The tallest and largest dinosaur species with a complete skeleton preserved was the brachiosaur Brachiosaurus brancai, found in Tedaguru, Tanzania. It was discovered in Late Jurassic deposits (150 -144 million years ago). The total length of the brachiosaurus was 22.2 m; height at withers - 6 m; height with head raised - 14 m. Probably, during life, the weight of the dinosaur was 30 - 40 tons. However, the fibula of another brachiosaurus, stored in the museum, suggests that these animals were even larger.
The longest dinosaur...
... this is a brachiosaurus. Footprints suggest that the body length of the brachiosaurus Breviparopus reached 48 m. Diplodocus Seismosaurus halli, found in 1994 in the state. New Mexico, USA, reached a length of 39-52 m. These estimates are based on bone comparisons.
Iguanodon.
Iguanodon, which lived during the Cretaceous period, had a body length of about 10 m; he lived in Western Europe, North Africa, Mongolia; was a herbivore.
The smallest dinosaurs.
The smallest dinosaurs were the size of chickens. The length of the cosmognathus (trans. graceful jaw) that lived in southern Germany and southeastern France and the little-studied herbivorous fabrosaurus from pcs. Colorado, USA, from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail was 70-75 cm. The first weighed about 3 kg, and the second - 6.8 kg.
The largest skull...
...belongs to Torosaurus. This herbivorous lizard, wearing a giant bone shield around its neck, was about 7.6 m long and weighed up to 8 tons. The length of its skull, together with the bone frill, reached 3 m, and its weight was 2 tons. It lived in the territory of the present states of Montana and Texas, USA.
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus, which lived during the Cretaceous period, had a body length of about 9 m; was a herbivore.
The biggest marks were on...
...hadrosaur (platypus). They were discovered in 1932 in Salt Lake City, pc. Utah, USA, This large dinosaur walked on its hind legs. The length of its tracks is 136 cm and the width is 81 cm. Other reports from Colorado and Utah spoke of tracks whose width reached 95-100 cm. The width of the tracks, apparently, of the hind limbs of the largest brachiosaurs reaches 100 cm.
Triceratops.
Triceratops is a reptile that looks like a rhinoceros, lived during the Cretaceous period, had a body length of about 7 m; he lived in North America; was a herbivore.
The most toothy dinosaurs...
...these are ornithomimids. The bird-like dinosaur Pelecanimimus had more than 220 very sharp teeth.
The longest claws...
...belong to therizinosaurs found in the Nemegt Basin, Mongolia, in Late Cretaceous sediments. Their length along the outer curvature reached 91 cm (compared to 20.3 cm for Tyrannosaurus rex). This dinosaur had a fragile skull and no teeth. It probably ate termites. The second contender is Spinosaurus. In January 1983, amateur paleontologist William Walker near Dorking, c. A claw 30 cm long was found in Surrey, England. It is believed to have belonged to a Spinosaurus, the total length of which exceeded 9 m, with an estimated weight of 2 tons.
Speed of movement.
Dinosaur tracks can be used to estimate their speed. One trail, discovered in 1981 on the territory of the state. Texas, USA, suggests that a certain carnivorous dinosaur could move at a speed of 40 km/h. Some ornithomimids ran even faster. For example, the big-brained, 100-kilogram Dromiceiomimus, which lived in what is now Alberta Ave., Canada, at the end of the Cretaceous period, could probably outrun the ostrich, which reaches speeds of over 60 km/h.
Armored dinosaurs or Ankylosaurs that lived on Earth in the Cretaceous period were excellently protected from predators. Much better than the Jurassic Stegosaurus. Ankylosaurs were herbivorous, slow and squat animals. From head to toe, these lizards were covered with bone plates that fit tightly, like armor.
The tail and sides of the animals also had thorns, sharp growths and spines. Some species, such as the Ankylosaurus, had a kind of “knob” or “mace” at the end of their powerful tail, with which they could protect themselves and their offspring from numerous predators. Researchers believe that ankylosaurs, when attacked by predators, pressed themselves to the ground, exposing their spiked shell, or swung their tail with a heavy club at the end. However, the most unprotected part of the lizards' body was the stomach. If the predator managed to get to the belly of the ankylosaur, then there was no hope of staying alive.
The ancestor of the ankylosaurs, Scelidosaurus, which means “dismembered lizard,” lived 100 million years before the appearance of armored dinosaurs. Scelidosaurus's armor consisted of seven rows of spikes and bony plates running along the entire body. This lizard was 3.5 meters long and ate ferns, cycads and other plants. Most ankylosaurs lived on Earth at the end of the Cretaceous. At the moment, more than 30 species of armored heavyweights are already known.
Later representatives of ankylosaurs were divided into two groups. Nodosaurs were slender animals with a narrow head, a pointed tail, and a rather weak shell. Second group: Ankylosaurs are squat animals with a wide head and a tail ending in a club.
The five-meter-long Acanthopholis, a bearer of spines with a tail ending in a sharp point, is identified by scientists as one of the first armored dinosaurs. This lizard was distinguished by a double row of spines running along the shoulders and neck of the animal. And Polacanthus had much larger spines than Acanthopholis.
The "knobby" lizard Nodosaurus was named so because the lizard's skin was covered with large knots. The Sauropelt lizard was particularly massive. It weighed about 3 tons and reached a length of 7 meters. At the end of the Cretaceous period there lived giants from the genus of armored lizards: Paleoscincus - “ancient lizard” and Panoplosaurus - “lizard with a solid tail”.
The armored dinosaurs of the ankylosaur group had a feature that distinguished them from all other species - very strong, solid armor. The remains of Talarur, 6 meters long, were found on the territory of Mongolia. This dinosaur's bone armor reached 5 centimeters in thickness. In the group of ankylosaurs, the largest animals appeared in the last period of their life on Earth.
Two lizards - Euoplocephalus - a “typical armored head” and Ankylosaurus - a “bent lizard” were about 10 meters long. Hardened tendons turned the giants' tail into a kind of rigid handle with which they could strike the enemy.
Modern animals that have a strong shell or armor include the crocodile and the turtle. Like living animals, some types of dinosaurs also possessed armor. She most likely served them for protection. Researchers paid attention to the structure of several types of shells. It turned out to be much more complex than expected. The structure of ancient shell protection is much more complex and interesting than the shells of modern animals. The armor of ancient lizards can give odds not only to animals, but also to the latest achievements in military technology.
Paleontological scientists at the University of Bonn conducted experiments during which it was shown that prehistoric armored “layered” protection is similar in strength to composite materials used today. Some types of dinosaurs had plate armor, which was thinner and lighter, but was not inferior in protective properties to heavier shells.
Of course, the most protected of all armored dinosaurs was Ankylosaurus from the ornithischian suborder. It was also called the “tank” reptile.
Ankylosaurus lived in the late Cretaceous period, was 6-10 m long, 2 m wide, and weighed up to 5 tons. The armor of the Ankylosaurus was distinguished by its perfection: its basis was made up of bone plates tightly fitted to each other, and even the eyelids were protected by armor. The protective shell consisted of alternating small and large polygonal plates covering the entire body of the animal, and on the tail there were rings of ossified skin, in some cases with spikes, and there were also spikes on the legs.
The head of the Ankylosaurus seemed to be dressed in a solid triangular helmet and decorated with two large horns. The shell on the head was up to 5 cm thick. Some researchers note that with such a thickness of armor on the animal’s head, there was very little room left for the brain. The animal's tail ended with a bone club, with which the herbivorous heavyweight could break the bones of unlucky predators.
It cannot be said that the evolutionary development of Ankylosaurs is thoroughly understood by paleontologists, since few of their remains have been found. Parts of the skeleton of Ankylosaurs were found in deposits of the Cretaceous period of North America (USA and Canada), as well as in South America, Asia, and Europe. At a time when herbivorous Ankylosaurs slowly moved along the earth, ferocious predators roamed nearby - and. The latter were not averse to tasting the meat of armored heavyweights.
The jaws of Ankylosaurus were equipped with a small number of rather weak teeth.
As a result of this and the inability of the heavyweight to rise on its hind legs, the Ankylosaurus was forced to be content with the lower, rough layer of vegetation. The calorie content of such food is very low and, as scientists suggest, the Ankylosaurus must have had a huge stomach. This is evidenced by the large body size of the armored dinosaur and the presence of a special enzymatic system.
Paleontologists have repeatedly studied the armor of the Ankylosaurus. Torsten Scheyer found that the layered structure of bone plates is very similar to the structure of crocodile skin. However, according to Scheier, the structure of Ankylosaurus's armor is much more complex than that of a crocodile. This armor mainly consisted of small plates. There were hundreds of thousands of them in the shell. Although there were plates of several tens of centimeters on the reptile’s body and had spikes on them.
The stomach is the weak point of the Ankylosaurus.
However, unlike a turtle shell, the bony plates were not fused together. They were located tightly next to each other. This armor structure was quite plastic and did not break under a strong impact. The modern one has a similar armor structure. But in a reptile it is much more primitive.
A powerful polarizing microscope of a German paleontologist showed that the fibers in the bone plates are intertwined. The connection of fibers resembles a “mat”. This plexus provided high strength to the armor of the Ankylosaurus. Currently, the propeller blades and bulletproof vests are made of a composite material made in the same way as the armor of the ancient lizard. In the case of materials, organics are replaced by carbon fibers.
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