When I was a kid, I loved dinosaurs.
Okay, I love dinosaurs now, but when I was a kid, a lot of children shared my passion. All my friends could identify Brontosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and most definitely Ankylosaurus.
Everyone knew that Ankylosaurus was a tank. It’s back was covered with fused plates, and it had a mace-like tail. At 20 feet long, 6 feet tall, and 5 feet wide, it was a well-protected herbivore. It weighed as much as 4 tons or about two cars worth. It lived in the late-Cretaceous (along with the T-Rex) just before an asteroid smacked into the Yucatan.
It sounds like we know a lot about Ankylosaurus, which is odd because although this dinosaur was discovered in 1906, only three specimens have been found, and none are complete. I’m amazed that I ever heard about this dinosaur.
The big question is, why are fossils of Ankylosaurus so rare? There are two possible answers. One is that the animal itself was unusual. Another explanation is that it lived in an area where bones didn’t fossilize well. Both of these answers are sketchy, so the mystery remains.
I’m glad that I know about the awesome Ankylosaurus and could share it with you. It’s always exciting when there is more to learn about a topic. “I don’t know” is music to a curious ear.