#ankylosaurini

[fundinofactoftheday]

Dinofact #98

Dyoplosaurus can be distinguished from all other known ankylosaurids in that it has sacral ribs that are anterolaterally-directed, triangular unguals in dorsal view, and a tail club knob that is longer than it is wide.

Source: Wikipedia

[rperboni]

(Note: I am not a professional paleontologist or even biologist. I am just and amateur paleoartist and enthusiast. If my infos are off in some way, feel free to correct them ^^)

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DINOCEMBER

3 -  Zuul crurivastator (tribute to Zuul, the Gatekeeper of Gozer, from the Ghostbusters franchise; "crurivastator" comes from the Latin "shank destroyer") - Late Cretaceous (75 Ma BCE) - Judith River Formation, Montana, US Formally named in 2017, Zuul is one of the most fantastic findings of recent years, being the most complete ankylosaur fossil in North America, preserving about 99% of the 6 meters-long animal's skeleton, as well as impressions of skin and the keratinous cover of its osteoderms in their life position, as well as his skull, which earned him his name, and the heavy bony club of the bridge of his tail, which earned him the nickname "Destroyer of Shins", based on what is believed to be the form of defense of this animal when using the club on its predators. The Judith River Formation, like many others rich in fossil extract, represents a coastal plain on the west bank of the Western Interior Seaway, which divided North America during the Cretaceous into two continental masses, Laramidia and Appalachia. In addition to Zuul, several hadrosaurs and ceratopsians are present in the region, as well as tyrannosaurs, raptors and crocodylomorphs, including the immense Deinosuchus, one of the largest that has ever existed. Ankylosaurs like Zuul were large plant-eaters that inhabited the Northern Hemisphere during the Cretaceous, being more dominant in certain regions of Asia, where they were apparently the main herbivores, while hadrosaurs dominated North America, being herbivores that ate plants closer to the ground, like bushes, small cycads and ferns, often being considered frugivorous, since the flowering plants and fruits started to appear near the end of the Cretaceous, which was something I decided to portray here, not excluding the possibility of some fruits having a hallucinogenic effect and affecting the hungry dinosaur, similarly to what happens with elephants when they feed on the fruits of the amarula, which naturally ferment when they fall from the tree, causing a drunken state in the animal.

- Color scheme based on a Giant Eland (Taurotragus derbianus)

[paleonativeart]

Day 13: Ankylosaurid Akainacephalus and Avisaurid Mirarce.

Yes people, Mirarce (meaning “wonderful winged messenger “) eatoni is said to be larger known avisauridae enantiornithine ever discovered back in 1996 in the heart of Kaiparowits Formation with Asian-American Ankylosaurid Akainacephale (meaning “Spiked Head”) which was named on July of 2018, the same year before Mirarce was name.