Fun Talarurus Facts For Kids

The Talarurus is an extinct dinosaur genus that lived around 90 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period, in what is presently known as Mongolia. The Talarurus belongs to the Talarurus family Ankylosauridae. Many species of Talarurus have been discovered in Mongolia. It was a medium-sized dinosaur with a length of about 6 ft (1.82 m) and a weight of around 1 ton (1000 kg). It was a herbivore that lived on plant materials. The pronunciation of Talarurus is 'ta-la-ROO-rus,' and the word means 'wicker tail.' Through discovered fossils, it came to light that Talarurus tails were long and strong.

The T. plicatospineus belongs to the genus Ankylosauridae. The Talarurus had massive armor and a club on the bottom of its wicker tail. This Cretaceous period animal sat just like a dog and had an evenly-spiked face. It is one of the earliest known Ankylosaurines from the continent of Asia. The dinosaur is particularly known from one skull from a single species, T. plicatospineus. Other bones, including the basicranium, the occipital region, a humerus, an ulna, an ischium, a tibia, a femur, and a fibula, were also discovered. In 1952, after its discovery, the Talarurus was named by Evgeny Maleev. Reproduction in the dinosaur was oviparous.

You can also check out other interesting facts about the Ichthyovenator and the Orodromeus.

How do you pronounce 'Talarurus'?

Talarurus is pronounced as 'ta-la-ROO-rus.'

What type of dinosaur was a Talarurus?

The Talarurus dinosaur king was an armored and frilled dinosaur. It was a four-legged animal with armor-plated skin. The dinosaur was named by Maleev in the year 1952.

What geological period did the Talarurus roam the earth?

One of the interesting facts about the Talarurus is that it lived in Asia (Mongolia) during the time of the Late Cretaceous period, which was millions of years ago.

When did the Talarurus become extinct?

The Talarurus genus became extinct about 90 million years ago, along with other dinosaur species.

Where did a Talarurus live?

Talarurus plicatospineus fossils have been found in regions such as Ömnögovi and Dornogovi in Mongolia. Fossils of these animals have been found in Bayan Shireh formation deposits and date back to the Late Cretaceous period, millions of years ago. This dinosaur lived in a terrestrial habitat. It seems like the distribution range of the dinosaur was limited to Asia.

In 2019, it was determined that the Talarurus was a grazing herbivore, while the Tsagantegia, another ankylosaur, was determined to be a browser herbivore. According to Park et al., the Talarurus had a wide, rectangular snout functional for low vegetation, while the Tsagantegia had longer and shovel-shaped snouts helpful for tall vegetation. To show the difference between the two, Ankylosaurs have been compared to African rhinoceros. They are endowed with a wide, rectangular snout specifically designed for grazing, while the African rhinoceros has a sharp snout for browsing. With these anatomical characteristics and this example, it is clear that these taxa were divided into niches. Another case of niche division can be observed in the Therizinosaurs erlikosaurus and the segnosaurus, which were also discovered in the formation.

What was a Talarurus's habitat?

According to the Bayan Shireh Formation, the Talarurus lived in a wetland habitat. The Ankylosaurs Talarurus habitat is in contrast to many other genera of Ankylosaurs found in arid environments during the time of the Late Cretaceous period. Like other Ankylosaur dinosaurs, however, the Talarurus would have been a browser of the low-growing vegetation in the range of Mongolia.

During the Late Cretaceous period, these dinosaurs were found in regions including Baynshire and Bayshin Tsav. Based on various sedimentation - caliche, fluvial and lacustrine - the Bayan Shireh became a massive semi-arid terrain with meanders and lakes, with the sturdy presence of angiosperm and gymnosperm flora everywhere in the zone. As per research and discoveries made, it is believed that they preferred forests with great vegetation for their habitat.

Who did the Talarurus live with?

Whether the Talarurus lived alone or in a group is unknown.

How long did a Talarurus live?

The total life span of the Talarurus has not been identified due to a lack of resources and information.

How did they reproduce?

Little details are known about the reproduction process and nature of the Talarurus (Ankylosauria dinosaur). However, it has been discovered that they were egg-laying animals.

What did a Talarurus look like?

Talarurus fossils were discovered in the Gobi Desert, which is now a part of Mongolia. Fossils found from the rock formation are from several million years ago. To identify these creatures more precisely, scientists examined dinosaur fossils from same-aged rocks elsewhere to compare with dinosaur fossils from the Bayan Shireh formation. One of the specimens of the dinosaur had a fragmentary skull with the outer part of the skull roof, including the basicranium, the occipital region, numerous vertebrae, a humerus, an ulna, an ischium, a tibia, a femur, a fibula, and assorted armor and scutes. The dinosaur was a heavily-built, medium-sized herbivore that could develop up to 16.4 ft (5 m) long. Also, it could reach a weight of 2,000 lb (907.2 kg), which is a hundred times bigger than the porpoise. It had a wide skull, around 9.44 in (24 cm) long and 8.66 in (22 cm) broad. Maleev, a scientist, illustrated the dinosaur as a four-legged animal. Although the foot was not discovered in articulation, one foot is a composite and probably three toes is a more accurate number, as all other known ankylosaurids possess three toes. The dinosaur had bony armor and was able to defend itself using the club on its tail. Its tail was the most active form of defense. The dinosaur tail had a fused-bone club at its end. Strong muscles at the bottom of the tail would have allowed it to be rotated with large force at an attacker. It had even spikes on its cheeks and the back of the head. Talarurus pictures show that they were believed to be green or dark brown in coloration.

How many bones did a Talarurus have?

The exact number of bones present in the Talarurus is unknown. Most Talarurus skeleton mounts are incomplete or inaccurate regarding various details, such as ribs pointing down rather than sticking to the sides like most Ankylosauria, an inaccurate skull imprint primarily based on similar species rather than available skull material, clearly visible arms and legs, and four digits in the feet (when in actuality, there were only three, like related Ankylosaurs). All these errors were made by anatomical differences, since Ankylosaurs were not entirely known at that time. To put it simply, Talarurus details are not known from an absolute skeleton.

How did they communicate?

There is no clear information available regarding means of communication among Talarurus dinosaurs.

How big was a Talarurus?

The average length of the Talarurus was around 13.1-19.7 ft (4-6 m), which is 10 times bigger than the hourglass dolphin.

How fast could a Talarurus move?

The definite speed of the Talarurus plicatospineous is unknown.

How much did a Talarurus weigh?

The weight of the Talarurus plicatospineus ranges from 1,001-2,000 lb (454-907.2 kg). They are 100 times bigger and heavier than the Amazon river dolphin.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for male and female Talarurus plicatospineus.

What would you call a baby Talarurus?

The baby Talarurus is generally known as a 'young.'

What did they eat?

There is not much information available regarding eating habits of the Talarurus. These Ankylosauria dinosaurs were quadrupedal herbivores and ate plant materials in the Mongolia range.

How aggressive were they?

There is no information about aggression in Talarurus dinosaurs.

Did you know...

The Talarurus was a member of the Ornithischia order of dinosaurs. This means that while this dinosaur was not closely related to birds, it had similarly shaped pelvic bones.

What does a Talarurus mean?

The Talarurus name means 'basket tail.' It is derived from the Greek term 'talaros' or ταλαρος, meaning 'wicker basket,' and the Latin word 'urus,' meaning 'tail.' The generic name refers to the club of the tail, which resembles a wicker basket. The tail length is made up of interlocking bony struts reminiscent of the weave used to make wicker baskets. The only species known now is Talarurus plicatospineus. The particular name, 'plicatospineus,' is obtained from the Latin terms 'plicatura,' meaning 'folded,' and 'spineus,' meaning thorny or prickly. This is an indication of folded spikes that are present on the exterior of the dinosaur's armor plates. The scientific name was discovered by Maleev in 1952.

When was the Talarurus discovered?

First remains of these dinosaurs were discovered in 1948. Talarurus was defined by the Russian paleontologist Evgeny Maleev in 1952. Element details of these specimens consist largely of bones of the body; however, five skulls were discovered and attributed to the genus, although the first two were severely fragmented.

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 Ostafrikasaurus facts and Yinlong facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Talarurus Dinosaurs Pages.