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The most armored
Ankylosaurus magniventris lived in western North America at the end of the Cretaceous, 68 million years ago. The name is derived from the Greek words “angkylosi” (medical term meaning fused bones) and “saurus” (lizard); thus “rigid lizard”.
It was a large herbivore animal, with an impressive feature its armour, which consisted of massive bony knobs and plates. These plates, osteoderms, were probably coated by a tough, horny layer of keratin. The tip of the tail was composed of several large osteoderms fused together to form a stiff club. Recent research shows that the tail was strong and during its oscillation it brought devastating blows to predators.
