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In the past, dinosaurs roamed the Earth freely.
One dinosaur kind could be identified by its armored back. This was the family of Nodosauridae.
In England, a new species was recovered that belonged to the Late Cretaceous era. It was named Anoplosaurus or an 'unarmed lizard'. Are you wondering why it was unarmed? Because the specimen did not have armor, probably because it died at a young age. Even though the species has been named and described, there is still a lot of debate surrounding its existence. The confusion exists as many of the referred bone parts belonged to other dinosaur species, such as ankylosaur (an armored nodosaur). This is quite a common problem for fossils recovered from the Cambridge Greensand site.
Anoplosaurus Interesting Facts
How do you pronounce 'Anoplosaurus'?
You pronounce Anoplosaurus as 'Ah-nop-loe-sore-us'.
What type of dinosaur was an Anoplosaurus?
Anoplosaurus was a genus of Nodosauridae. It is considered a basal member of this family based on the long tooth row.
In which geological period did the Anoplosaurus roam the Earth?
Anoplosaurus roamed the Earth during the Early/Lower Cenomanian stage (93.5-99.6 Ma) of the Late Cretaceous period.
When did the Anoplosaurus become extinct?
Research is yet to reveal exactly why the Anoplosaurus became extinct.
Where did Anoplosaurus live?
Anoplosaurus were terrestrial British dinosaurs.
What was the Anoplosaurus' habitat?
The fossils of the late cretaceous dinosaur were found at the Cambridge Greensand, Cambridgeshire, England.
Who did the Anoplosaurus live with?
It is unclear who Anoplosaurus lived with.
How long did an Anoplosaurus live?
Anoplosaurus' average lifespan has yet to be ascertained.
How did they reproduce?
Anoplosaurus reproduced by laying eggs.
Anoplosaurus Fun Facts
What did the Anoplosaurus look like?
The recovered specimen, due to its small size, was considered to be an Anoplosaurus of young age. This interpretation was made because the Nodosauridae member had no armor.
How many bones did an Anoplosaurus have?
The skeletal elements of the Anoplosaurus are incomplete remains of the genus. They are composed of the remains of an ankylosaur. So, the bone structure of this dinosaur is unknown.
How did they communicate?
The manner by which Anoplosaurus communicated is not known.
How big was the Anoplosaurus?
Based on the remains, research showed the dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous era as a juvenile. The length of the Anoplosaurus is unknown.
How fast could an Anoplosaurus move?
As a nodosaurid, Anoplosaurus would have been quadrupedal and an actively mobile species.
How much did an Anoplosaurus weigh?
The weight of these British dinosaurs is yet to be ascertained.
What were the male and female names of the species?
Males and females would simply be known as adults.
What would you call a baby Anoplosaurus?
The baby Anoplosaurus would be known as a juvenile.
How aggressive were they?
The nature of these nodosaurids has yet to be ascertained.
Did You Know…
The genus name was given by Harry Govier Seeley in 1879.
Researchers discovered a second species of Anoplosaurus major (larger one); however, they later found out its remains to belong to an Ankylosaur.
*We've been unable to source an image of Anoplosaurus and have used an image of Ankylosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Anoplosaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected]
**We've been unable to source an image of Anoplosaurus and have used an image of T-Rex instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Anoplosaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected]
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