Fun Palaeoscincus Facts For Kids

This type species, Palaeoscincus, belonged to kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, order Ornithischia, suborder Ankylosauria, and family Nodosauridae. The Greek meaning of the name of this dinosaur is ‘ancient skink’. Their existence has not been recorded much after the early years of the 19th century. There were many relative species also of this dinosaur genera like the Edmontonia and the Euoplocephalus. Among many armored dinosaurs, the Palaeoscincus was one of the best known of its kind. Also, this dinosaur is very prominent in many books and children's toys. They had very similar features to the well-known close relative species of the Ankylosaurus. The taxonomy of this dinosaur is quite dubious. The sharp spikes and tough armor on the back gave them protection from many predators who were even larger than these dinosaurs. A Palaeoscincus fossil was found near the Judith River formation in Montana. The scientific name of this thick dinosaur is species P. costatus and was named by Joseph Leidy.

Do you have an interest in these amazing dinosaurs and want to learn more about them? Here you can learn other interesting facts about the Pawpawsaurus and Mymoorapelta.

How do you pronounce 'Palaeoscincus'?

This small-head and spiked dinosaur of clade Dinosauria is very easy to pronounce. The Palaeoscincus pronunciation is 'pa-lay-oh-scin-kus'. Other armored dinosaurs were the Hungarosaurus, Gobisaurus, Europelta, Dyoplosaurus, Antarctopelta, Animantarx, Minotaurasaurus, Pinacosaurus, Scelidosaurus, Shamosaurus, and Talarurus.

What type of dinosaur was a Palaeoscincus?

Palaeoscincus was an ankylosaurian dinosaur that used to eat plants, shrubs, trees, and leaves. Its fossil was found in Montana in the USA  and they are called 'armored' dinosaurs. The Palaeoscincus was a herbivore with spikes on the upper skin, a small jawline, and a long tail.

In which geological period did the Palaeoscincus roam the earth?

This genus, Palaeoscincus, was found from the mid-late Campanian-age Upper Cretaceous period which was 100 million years to 70 million years ago. The Palaeoscincus fossil was found near the Judith River formation in Montana. They had very similar features to the well-known close relative species of the Ankylosaurus.

When did the Palaeoscincus become extinct?

This type species become extinct around 70 million years ago due to natural disasters and due to the huge carnivores roaming around at the time. The scientific name of this thick dinosaur is species P. costatus and was from the Upper Cretaceous period.

Where did the Palaeoscincus live?

The Palaeoscincus lived in forests and grasslands because they were herbivores and as per their taxonomy, they ate plants, shrubs, leaves, and grass. Their fossils were found in the location of Montana in the USA. They used to live in forests because there they had good access to water.

What was the Palaeoscincus' habitat?

The Palaeoscincus habitat was forest and grasslands wetlands, scrublands, forests, tall grasses, or places with good water and plant material access. Research from fossils has told us about the history of the Palaeoscincus and only one tooth was found. Leidy named this dinosaur. The habitat consisted of the presence of other dinosaurs such as the Deinodon, Thespesius, and Trachodon.

Who did the Palaeoscincus live with?

These dinosaurs were referred to as a dubious genus of ankylosaurids and were a not -so aggressive species. They used to live in small groups, but it didn't like anyone or anything intruding its own territory. The Palaeoscincus fossil was found near the Judith River formation in Montana.

How long did a Palaeoscincus live?

The length of their lifespan is not known yet as they existed in the mid-late Campanian-age Upper Cretaceous period but they lived around 73-70 million years ago. These dinosaurs of the USA had only one teeth according to their fossil history.

How did they reproduce?

 These dinosaurs were oviparous. The Palaeoscincus reproduced by laying eggs while roaming in the forests. There were many other armored dinosaurs present in the late Cretaceous period as well.

What did the Palaeoscincus look like?

This animal of clade Dinosauria had very similar features to the well-known close relative species of the ankylosaurus. The added advantage of this dinosaur, which was its body, was made from a thick armor material that protected it from most dangers. Along with the bony armor, they also had many spikes which made it tough for other dinosaurs to attack this thick dinosaur. They had spikes on both sides of their body. The sharp and thick spikes carried on to the end of their armored tail as well.

How many bones did a Palaeoscincus have?

Not much is known about this dubious genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur's number of bones. The bones of the Palaeoscincus are not known because only a tooth fossil has been found. They were first discovered by Joseph Leidy in‭ ‬1856 by the teeth fossils discovered.‭

How did they communicate?

Their communication features is still unknown. Still, these dinosaurs used to live with other dinosaurs peacefully, particularly the Thespesius and Trachodonin in the same territory.

How big was the Palaeoscincus?

The Palaeoscincus was a big animal and was 18 ft (5.5 m) in length. The Palaeoscincus size was not very big but this dinosaur was an excellent defender. There were many armored dinosaurs present in the late Cretaceous period as well.

How fast could a Palaeoscincus move?

Being a heavyweight dinosaur, the Palaeoscincus was a very slow-moving dinosaur, and the walking or even running speed of this dinosaur was slower compared lightweight dinosaurs. They resembled another Ankylosarid species called Saichania that had very similar spikes, like that of a saltwater crocodile.

How much did a Palaeoscincus weigh?

The weight of this large animal is not known. Although another armored dinosaur and a closely related species named Saichania weighed 2 ton (1814.37 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the male and the female of this dinosaur species. The fossils were found in the location of Montana in the USA. Only one tooth fossil was found for this dinosaur.

What would you call a baby Palaeoscincus?

A baby of this herbivore dinosaur species does not have any particular name. They are called baby Palaeoscincus.

What did they eat?

This mid-late Campanian-age Upper Cretaceous period dinosaur used to be a herbivore and so it mainly fed on plant materials. Pine needles, flowers, leaves, grasses, twigs, and fruits used to be in its diet.

How aggressive were they?

These armored dinosaurs who lived in the Upper Cretaceous period were moderately aggressive. Their spikes and armored back were a great added advantage to their defense.

Did you know...

Except for the Palaeoscincus, Joseph Leidy also named some other dinosaur species as well after completing research. They were the Deinodon, Tyrannosaurs, and Aublysodon. Only one teeth fossil was found of the the Palaeoscincus.

How did the Palaeoscincus get its name?

It was named by Joseph Leidy in 1856.‭ Joseph Leidy discovered the teeth of the Palaeoscincus and after much research, named the species. ‬These dinosaurs were referred to as a dubious genus of ankylosaur.‭ Palaeoscincus in Greek means 'ancient skink'. The Palaeoscincus fossil was found near Judith River formation in Montana.

Who discovered the Palaeoscincus?

Joseph Leidy discovered the teeth of the Palaeoscincus and after much research named the species P. costatus. Only one teeth fossil was found of this dinosaur.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Niobrarasaurus facts and Crichtonsaurus facts pages.

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

Main image by Conty

Second image by Abelov