Euoplocephalus: Encyclopedia II - Euoplocephalus - Description

Euoplocephalus - Description

Among the ankylosaurids, Euoplocephalus, was exceeded in size by only Tarchia and Ankylosaurus. Euoplocephalus was 6 meters long, and weighed about 2 metric tonnes (2.2 tons). While it was 2.4 meters (8 feet) wide, it was low-slung, with short, stout legs. The rear legs were larger than the front legs, and all four limbs were tipped with hoof-like claws. A trackway of an ankylosaur found in 1996 at Sucre, Bolivia indicates that Euoplocephalus could probably move fairly quickly.

Like all ankylosaurids, it has a flat, thick, triangular skull with little room left over for a brain. The mouth is a horny beak, and the teeth are small, weak and peg-like. It has a short neck.

Euoplocephalus - Armed and armored

The entire head and body of the Euoplocephalus are covered with bands of armor, which allowed a surprisingly amount of flexibility. It was the first ankylosaurid discovered with armored shutters that it could slide down to cover its eyelids.

Each narrow band of armor was composed of a thick oval plate embedded in the thick surrounding skin, which was studded with short, horny spikes (dermal scutes, like those of crocodiles), which were about 10 to 15 centimeters (4 to 6 inches) long. In addition to the spines running down its back, Euoplocephalus had large horns growing from the back of its head.

It also had a bony club at the end of its rigid tail, which it carried in a raised position. The tail was muscular, so the club could be swung from side to side for defense.

Internally, many bones were fused together to provide support for the heavy armor. The backbone (the dorsal vertebrae) is merged with the ribs, and several of the back bones in front of the hips (presacral vertebrae) were also fused together into a rod. The tail is made from hardened tissues, which are fused to the tail bones (known as caudal vertebrae).

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Description", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki