(Image by Danielle Dufault/Royal Ontario Museum)
Ankylosaurs were among the last non-avian dinosaurs; they walked on four legs and had wide armoured bodies and large horns. But much of what we know of ankylosaurs has been reconstructed from incomplete skeleton fragments. In a recently published paper, ROM researchers describe the most complete ankylosaur skeleton ever found in North America. The 75-million-year-old fossil was discovered in the Judith River Formation in Montana, and it’s the first-ever ankylosaur skeleton found with the intact tail club and a complete skull, as well as some well-preserved soft tissue. It’s been given the name Zuul crurivastator, inspired by the character Zuul in the 1984 Ghostbusters movie, with a similarly short, rounded snout and large horns.
Authors:
Victoria M. Arbour, David C. Evans
Corresponding author:
Dr. Victoria Arbour, Department of Paleobiology, Royal Ontario Museum, Email: victoria.arbour@gmail.com
Original paper published in Royal Society Open Science on May 9, 2017.
