Ankylosaurus Description
Ankylosaurus was a heavily armored, quadrupedal herbivore from the Late Cretaceous known for its bony plates (osteoderms), spikes, and a powerful bony club at the end of its tail used for defense, resembling a living tank with a low, broad body, short legs, and a wide, flat head, feeding on low-lying plants with small, leaf-shaped teeth and browsing with a beak.
Could You Outrun an Ankylosaurus?
Yes, you could easily outrun an Ankylosaurus; it was a slow, heavily armored herbivore, moving at roughly walking speed (around 3-6 mph), much slower than most humans can sprint, using its tail club for defense rather than speed. While its defensive club was deadly (so deadly it could reach be as powerful as 10,000 newtons), its short legs and bulk meant it couldn’t chase down fast prey or flee quickly.
Are You Bigger Than an Ankylosaurus?
A person is significantly smaller than an Ankylosaurus, a massive, armored dinosaur that lived among even larger dinosaurs. To compare their sizes in depth, we can look at typical dimensions for both a human and an Ankylosaurus, including length, height, weight, and general body shape. Ranging from 6 to 9 meters (20–30 feet) long, weighing several tons, with estimates often around 4,000 to 8,000 kilograms (4 to 8 tons), It is one of the largest armored dinosaurs ever. For comparison, an average adult human male is typically around 1.7 to 1.8 meters (5 feet 7 inches to 6 feet) tall and weighs approximately 70 to 90 kilograms (154 to 200 pounds).
Fun Facts
- Ankylosaurus means “Fused Lizard”
- Based on studies of the Ankylosaurus skull, paleontologists think they had a perfect sense of smell.
- For such a large herbivore, its leaf-shaped teeth were surprisingly small and inefficient for chewing.
- Its nostrils were on the sides of its head, unlike other ankylosaurs.
- Similar to Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus had a very small brain relative to its large body, suggesting low intelligence.
Dino-mite Equations!
Question #1: If an Ankylosaurus hit a T-rex that could resist 5,000 newtons of force, could its bones survive the hit?
Answer #1
No!
Question #2: How many tons would 15 Ankylosaurus weigh?
Answer #2
120!
VelociLogic 