Sauropelta

Reconstruction of Sauropelta with exaggerated shoulder long spines

• North America

• Sauropelta edwardsorum Ostrom, 1970

Sauropelta is a genus of bird Beck dinosaur from the group of Ankylosauria. You are expected to Nodosauridae, and is among the oldest and best preserved fossil representatives. Sauropelta lived in the Lower Cretaceous in North America.

Features

General

Sauropelta was with Panoplosaurus one of the largest Nodosauriden. Its length was up to 7.6 meters and its weight is estimated at 1.5 tons. Like all Ankylosauria he moved away quadruped ( on all fours ). The hull was wide, the front legs shorter than the back. Overall, the limbs, as well as the shoulder and pelvic region were built very sturdy. Sauropelta had a remarkably long tail, which accounted for about half of the total length and consists of at least 40 caudal vertebrae was. The tail was amplified by ossified tendons, as with all Nodosauridae no tail lobe was present.

Plating

Like all Ankylosauria Sauropelta was covered with an armor of bony scales ( osteoderms ). Unlike many other ankylosauruses the armor is preserved in situ and therefore well known. Two parallel rows arched scale ran at the top of the neck. The top of the fuselage and tail were covered with small bony prominences, in between your larger, cone-shaped scales that ran in parallel, longitudinally arranged rows were. About the pelvis bone scales were fused into a shield-shaped structure, which is located about even with Polacanthus. Large, pointed spines ran to the side of the neck and trunk, the biggest were in the shoulder area and were back down again smaller. Behind the pool went flat, triangular plates, which were arranged outwards and tip of the tail were smaller towards

The skull was like that of all Nodosauridae approximately triangular shaped and had a pointed snout. The skull roof was flat and covered with thick, bony plates. At the back of the head and on the cheeks were thick triangular bony scales. Like all Ankylosauria had Sauropelta small, leaf -shaped teeth that were adapted to a plant food. The front part of the skull is unknown, possibly a horned beak was present.

Way of life

Sauropelta was a herbivore, the malnourished due to its posture from plants to about 1 meter in height, such as conifers and cycads. The narrow snout could indicate that he was selective in food choices than about the Ankylosauridae. The teeth were only suitable for chewing, the further splitting of the food is likely to have taken place in the voluminous hull.

While the armor probably have exerted a defense function, the importance of the spines is more controversial. In addition to defense purposes this interaction could have served with other dogs, such as the Zurschaustellen in the fight for the privilege of mating.

Discovery and designation

Fossil remains of Sauropelta come from the Cloverly Formation in the U.S. states of Wyoming and Montana, and were first described by John Ostrom 1970. The name means "shield lizard" (from Greek σαῦρος / sauros ( = " lizard" ') and πέλτη / Pelte ( = " tag " ) ) and alludes to the strong armor on. Only named species and therefore type species is S. edwardsorum, but there are references to other, hitherto undescribed species, such as by Kenneth Carpenter in 1999 in Utah.

The finds are dated to the Early Cretaceous (late Aptian to early Albian ) at an age 123-110 million years.

System

Sauropelta is expected within the Ankylosauria to the group of Nodosauridae. He is probably closely related to Silvisaurus and Pawpawsaurus, with whom he jointly owned with the basal representatives of Nodosauridae. He is one of the oldest undisputed representatives of Nodosauridae, only Cedarpelta is even older.