Fun Antarctopelta Facts For Kids

Antarctopelta was an Ankylosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Upper Cretaceous period. It was found in James Ross Island in Antarctica by Eduardo Olivero and Roberto Scasso in 1986 and named by Gasparini and Salgado in 2006.

It was a stocky quadruped herbivore that had a stiff tail and formation of spikes on its supraorbital bone and back. The features and characteristics of this herbivore matched those of most Ankylosaurs. Its binomial name was Antarctopelta oliveroi.

If you like reading about Antarctopelta, also check out interesting dinosaur facts about Zupaysaurus and Hesperonychus.

Antarctopelta Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Antarctopelta'?

Antarctopelta was named by Salgado and Gasparini in 2006; the name is pronounced 'An-tarc-toe-pel-tah.'.

What type of dinosaur was an Antarctopelta?

Antarctopelta is a medium-sized quadruped herbivore Ankylosaur. It is a member of the Nodosauridae family.

In which geological period did the Antarctopelta roam the Earth?

The Antarctopelta lived on earth during the Upper Cretaceous period around 74-70 million years ago.

When did the Antarctopelta become extinct?

The Antarctopelta dinosaurs became extinct during the Upper Cretaceous–Paleogene period mass extinction at the end of the Mesozoic Era. The mass extinction took place around 66 million years ago when a large meteor or comet hit the earth.

Where did an Antarctopelta live?

Antarctopelta dinosaurs lived in Antarctica. Only one partial skeletal and skull specimen was discovered on James Ross Island in 1986 and none since. The Ankylosaurian dinosaur lived in Antarctica when it was still fused with the South American continent.

What was an Antarctopelta's habitat?

In its time period, Antarctica was not cold and had a warm climate. It lived in forests with dense vegetation of conifer and deciduous trees. Unlike the Antarctica of today, the climate 70 million years ago was much warmer although the winter months were still dark like today.

Who did an Antarctopelta live with?

Antarctopelta ankylosaurian dinosaur was a herding herbivore that lived in mixed groups of juveniles and adults. Other smaller herbivore dinosaurs could sometimes join the community herd or protection from carnivorous dinosaurs.

The partial dinosaur fossil was discovered in the marine environment of Antarctica along with other marine fossils like shark teeth and remains of other marine animals. Ankylosaurian dinosaur is a terrestrial dinosaur but when it died the body probably washed out into the sea.

How long did an Antarctopelta live?

The exact lifespan or age of this herbivore from Antarctica is not known. Very little information is available regarding their lifespan or life cycle.

It is assumed that they have three life stages; juvenile, sub-adult, and adult, in which distinct changes occur in their physical characteristics. The fossil of this Upper Cretaceous dinosaur, which was discovered on James Ross Island, was initially considered to be a juvenile but recent studies of the fossil show that it wasn't a juvenile.

How did they reproduce?

Antarctopelta had a particular breeding season and like other dinosaurs and laid eggs like modern-day birds. The eggs were laid by oviparous females and the juvenile dinosaurs hatched from the eggs after the incubation period.

Antarctopelta Fun Facts

What did an Antarctopelta look like?

Antarctopelta oliveroi dinosaur was a stocky quadruped herbivore that had armor shields embedded into the skin. The supraorbital bone over the eye on the skull had a short spike projecting outwards.

It had leaf-shaped asymmetrical teeth which are concentrated towards the tip of the snout. While the dinosaur is moderate in size compared to other Ankylosaurian species, the teeth of this herbivore are larger than average.

The largest tooth measures 0.4 in (10 mm) in length. The Ankylosaurian dinosaur has a stiff tail which is sometimes in a large bony club but is evidence of a bony club tail on the Antarctopelta.

The skin had osteoderms which are bony deposit formation of scales and plates on the skin. Their placement on the body of the Ankylosaurian dinosaur is not entirely known, but they were found on the base of spikes and as chest and neck plates guarding and protecting the dinosaur features like a shield.

Osteoderms were also found on the rib and on the back.

How many bones did an Antarctopelta have?

The number of Antarctopelta bones is not known because the specimen found on James Ross Island has partial remains consisting of skull fragments, teeth, limb bones, toe bones, and pieces of armor.

How did they communicate?

Like other dinosaurs, it can be assumed that the Ornithomimus dinosaur communicated using their bodies, slender limbs, and vocalization. Dinosaurs can create distinct open-mouthed sounds and closed-mouthed sounds.

The close-mouthed sounds of a lower frequency could travel long distances, which helped them communicate with the rest of the herd or warn rivals of their territory. The spikes and armored shield plating could hold importance during mating displays and in fighting with rivals.

How big was an Antarctopelta?

The Antarctopelta was a medium-sized Ankylosaurian dinosaur found in the Antarctic continent. Initially, it was hard to estimate the size of the dinosaur since only partial skeletal remains of skull fragments and bones were found. After research, the dinosaur length was 13-20 ft (4-6 m) long and 3.2 ft (1 m) tall.

How fast could an Antarctopelta move?

The speed of an Antarctopelta is not exactly known. It could probably move at a moderate speed given its weight and size. It did not have much requirement to move fast either since it was big and strong enough to be protected against most carnivorous dinosaurs of the Upper Cretaceous period.

How much did an Antarctopelta weigh?

The Antarctopelta weighed 772 lbs (350 kg). Its weight was the same as a small bison and double the weight of an adult white tiger. Much of its heavyweight can be attributed to the armored plates under its skin.

What were the male and female names of the species?

This Antarctic dinosaur species does not have different names for the two sexes. Since only one specimen has been found on the James Ross Island in Antarctica, research has not been able to determine whether the species exhibits sexual dimorphism.

What would you call a baby Antarctopelta?

The baby of an Antarctopelta doesn't have any particular name. Dinosaur babies are generally called babies or juveniles.

What did they eat?

This dinosaur species named Gasparini and Salgado were herbivores whose diet consisted of fruits, plants, and leaves. Research conducted on teeth usually lets us know about the diet of dinosaurs.

How aggressive were they?

Research shows that they used their teeth to bite during battles with other dinosaurs. Their large spikes could also have had some significance in the practice. They would get aggressive over territories.

Did you know...

The Antarctopelta was endemic to the Antarctic landmass. In its time period, South America and Antarctica were connected although no common species or any evidence of exchange of dinosaurs have been found.

Other dinosaurs found in the Antarctic are Cryolophosaurus, Glacialisaurus, and Imperobator.

Antarctopelta means Antarctic shield. It refers to the place it was found in and the armored plates under the skin.

Ankylosaurus, an armored dinosaur like Antarctopelta, did not live in Antarctica. It lived in North America.

What body part of the Antarctopelta was found in Antarctica?

The Antarctopelta fossil consisted of teeth, partial limb bones, skull fragments, lower jaw, vertebrae, two bones, and armor pieces. They were found on James Ross Island in Antarctica.

Who found the first dinosaur fossil in Antarctica?

The Antarctopelta was the first dinosaur fossil to ever be found in Antarctica. Eduardo Olivero and Roberto Scasso found the fossil in 1986 on James Ross Island. It was the second dinosaur from Antarctica to be named. The first dinosaur to be named was Cryolophosaurus and the second was Antarctopelta.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Archaeoceratops facts and Pegomastax fun facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Antarctopelta coloring pages.

*We've been unable to source an image of Antarctopelta and have used an image of Sauropelta instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Antarctopelta, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.