Fun Edmontonia Facts For Kids

The Edmontonia was an ankylosaur that lived on Earth some million years ago. There are two types of species: E. rugosidens and E. longiceps.

The pronunciation of Edmontonia is 'ED-mon-TOE-nee-ah'. The name Edmontonia was given by George Fryer Sternberg in 1928, whereas the second species name was given by Gilmore in 1930.

In 1938, Bakker gave a synonym to the genus known as Chassternbergia. The distinction between Edmontonia longiceps and E. rugosidens was that it had no hard skin projecting sideways from the back of the orbit.

It had some small teeth, a slender upper jaw, a sacrum that was broader and more powerful than its length, and smaller spikes on the side.

Tracks made by this creature were found in a park of south Denali. The complete classification of Edmontonian is Animalia, Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Thyreophoroidea,‭ and ‬Nodosauridae.

Edmontonia explorers found the first specimen in Edmonton, Alberta. This ankylosaur had bony armor plates on the body. The armor consisted of large shoulder spikes all over from the neck to the tail. This armor protected the animal from dangerous predators, especially those that attacked from above.

The specific number of bones in its skeleton is unknown. Their diet generally consisted of natural vegetation in their prehistoric kingdom. Edmontonia had tiny ridged teeth that tell us that this Ankylosaurus ate low shrubs such as ferns and cycads.

To learn more about different dinosaur species, you can also check out the Chilantaisaurus and Hesperosaurus.

Edmontonia Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Edmontonia'?

Edmontonia's pronunciation is 'ED-mon-TOE-nee-ah'. The name comes from Edmonton, a place in Canada where the dinosaur was discovered.

What type of dinosaur was an Edmontonia?

Edmontonia nodosaur was an armored dinosaur an is placed in the genus Edmontonia. It is also known as Chassternbergia (Bakker, 1938). The name Edmontonia was given by Sternberg.

However, the second species was named by the scientist Gilmore. It is a member of the Ankylosauria family.

The dinosaur's name comes from Edmonton, Alberta, what is now known as Horseshoe Canyon Formation. It is the unit of rock where the specimen of the dinosaur was discovered. It is a part nodosaur or knob lizard group of dinosaurs that were identified by armor and large spikes.

In which geological period did Edmontonia roam the Earth?

The time period in which the Edmontonia thrived on Earth was the Late Cretaceous period. It lived from Campanian to Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.

When did Edmontonia become extinct?

The genus Edmontonia went extinct in the Late Cretaceous, about 65 million years ago.

Where did Edmontonia live?

The Edmontonia was a genus of Ankylosauria dinosaurs within the family Nodosauridae. A skull of the creature was found in the Talkeetna Mountains in the south of Denali. There are tracks made by an ankylosaur in the park.

What was Edmontonia's habitat?

One of the interesting facts about Edmontonia for kids is that their habitat mainly consisted of woodlands in North America.

A study of other fossils related to the creature (especially petrified trees) concluded that Edmontonia prehistoric wildlife consisted of an environment with long periods of humidity and drought throughout the year.

Like other animals with similar climates, it would lay eggs that hatched during the rainy season so that the newborn had an ample supply of fresh vegetation.

In addition, adults spent a great amount of time feeding on as many plants as they could so that they could accumulate fat reserves to better survive the barren period of the dry season.

The arrival of the rainy season was also believed to be a motive why the spikes and armor positions of some of the remnants of Edmontonia dinosaurs are exactly the same as they were in real life.

The floods would have washed away a large amount of sediment on any animal that died in the dry season, burying the body, and protecting it from carnivores.

Who did an Edmontonia live with?

During the Edmontonia age, they lived with other species of dinosaurs such as Troodon, Edmontosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, and Albertosaurus.

How long did an Edmontonia live?

The total life span of an armored Edmontonia (Nodosaurid) has remained unidentified.

How did they reproduce?

The reproduction process among Edmontonia dinosaurs has not been identified yet. However, it has been discovered that they were an egg-laying dinosaur species.

Edmontonia Fun Facts

What did an Edmontonia look like?

The Edmontonia's skeletal composition showed that they were a large and tank-like armored animal that could have reached a length of about 22 ft (6.7 m). However, in 2010, Gregory S. Paul recognized both Edmontonia species, E. rugosidens and E. longiceps, to be of the same length of 19.68 ft (6 m) and weighed around 3 tons (2721.55 kg).

Both species had diminutive, oval ridged bony plates on the back and head. They also had many sharp spikes along the sides.

The four biggest spikes projected out from the shoulders on either side. However, the second spike was divided into sub-pines in the specimens of E. rugosidens.

The skull had a shape like a pear from above. The shoulders and neck were protected by three half-rings formed of big keeled plates.

In 1990, distinguishing features of the genus were discovered by Kenneth Carpenter, mainly comparing it with its close relative Panoplosaurus. In the top view, the muzzle had more parallel sides.

Carpenter also pointed out the differences between the main species. The difference between Edmontonia longiceps and E. rugosidens was that it had no bony skin protruding laterally from the back of the orbit.

It had fewer teeth, a narrow upper jaw, a sacrum that was wider and stronger than its length, and shorter spikes on the side. In addition, no known ossified cheek plates from the E. rugosidens sample were found in Edmontonia longiceps.

How many bones did an Edmontonia have?

The exact number of bones in the Edmontonia skeleton is unknown. Edmontonia dinosaurs were similar to ankylosaurids but they did not possess any tail club and had a narrower mouth.

However, this dinosaur had armor plates along its back. It is especially noted for having large spikes that projected out of the body.

The four biggest of them were above the shoulder. As these spikes covered only a small portion of the body, it is assumed that they were used only for protection from predators, such as large theropod tyrannosaurs.

The shoulder spikes could have been more antler-like of deer, with bigger and more developed projections belonging to more mature dinosaurs. Also, two Edmontonians may have come closer and engaged in the fight for dominance, with the corners blocked so Edmontonia dinosaurs could catch up to the other.

In 1990, the recovery of E. rugosidens was made by Kenneth Carpenter. He determined some diagnostic aspects of the genus as a whole, mainly in association with its close kin Panoplosaurus. In the top view, the nose had more parallel sides.

The armor of the skull had a smooth surface. In the upper jaw, the vomer was keel-shaped. The nerve arches and spines were more precise than the Panoplosaurus.

The sacrum of the animal itself consisted of three sacral vertebrae. In the shoulder girdle, the scapula and coracoid were not mixed.

How did they communicate?

There is no information available about how Edmontonia dinosaurs communicated.

How big was an Edmontonia?

The Edmontonia's size consists of about 22 ft (6.7 m), which is similar to that of a saltwater crocodile.

How fast could an Edmontonia move?

The Edmontonia ankylosaurus movement speed has not been identified yet. However, it is estimated that they may have had a similar speed as Javan rhinoceros.

How much did an Edmontonia weigh?

The weight of an Edmontonia was estimated to be 6613.86 lb (3000 kg). They are around seven times bigger than a white rhinoceros.

What were the male and female names of the species?

No specific names were given to describe male and female Edmontonia dinosaurs.

What would you call a baby Edmontonia?

An Edmontonia baby is known as a young or hatchling.

What did they eat?

As an herbivore, the Edmontonia diet included various types of plants. The tiny ridged teeth indicated that this Ankylosaurus fed on low plants such as ferns and cycads. Since they did not grind their teeth, they might have ingested food directly into the stomach through fermentation. Like modern dairy cows, this process would have produced a lot of gas.

How aggressive were they?

As a herbivore, they are expected to be calmer and non-aggressive compared to meat-eating dinosaurs.

Did you know...

The size comparison shows that Edmontonia was slightly taller than a human.

What is the difference between the genera Edmontosaurus and Edmontonia?

Edmontosaurus had a length of around 42 ft (12.80 m) which was much larger than the Edmontonia. It also had a bill like a duck, mitten-like hands, three toes, hoofed feet, leathery skin, and various bumps running from neck to tail. All these features were absent in Edmontonia dinosaurs.

Where was the Edmontonia fossil found?

Edmonton was an armored herbivore that lived in North America (its specimen has been unearthed in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation near Edmonton, Alberta State, and also in the Aguja Formation in Texas). It existed in the Late Cretaceous era, about 74 million years ago.

The original fossil was found in the Edmonton Formation (now called the Horseshoe Canyon Formation) in 1915, and its range involved Canada and the northern US.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Metriorhynchus facts and Chungkingosaurus facts for kids.

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