{"product_id":"ankylosaur-denversaurus-tooth-in-display-case","title":"Ankylosaur (Denversaurus) Tooth In Display Case","description":"\u003cp\u003eBeautiful Ankylosaur (Denversaurus\u003cem\u003e?) \u003c\/em\u003eFrom the Lance Formation of Wyoming.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnkylosaur teeth are much more uncommon than other \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/fossilsonline.com\/collections\/dinosaur\"\u003edinosaur\u003c\/a\u003e teeth, such as \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/fossilsonline.com\/collections\/Hardosaur\"\u003eHadrosaurs \u003c\/a\u003eand \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/fossilsonline.com\/collections\/triceratops\"\u003eCeratopsians\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e.47\" tall\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnkylosaurus vs. Denversaurus: What’s the Difference?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Lance Formation of Wyoming produced two types of armored dinosaurs, and they belong to two different families. Ankylosaurus was an ankylosaurid, while Denversaurus was a nodosaurid. Both were heavily armored plant eaters, but they defended themselves in different ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAnkylosaurus had a tail club, a true bony weapon at the end of a stiffened tail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIt was low and wide, built to take hits and strike back.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe last part of its tail had interlocking vertebrae that formed a rigid handle for swinging the club.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eDenversaurus had no tail club. Its tail was armored but flexible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIt relied on spikes and side armor for defense. Its close relative Edmontonia had large spikes projecting from the shoulders, and Denversaurus likely had a similar build.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIts skull was narrower and longer than that of Ankylosaurus.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn simple terms, Ankylosaurus carried a club and Denversaurus carried spikes. These were two different solutions to the same problem of surviving alongside Tyrannosaurus rex.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnkylosaurus\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAnkylosaurus magniventris was named by Barnum Brown in 1908 and is the largest known armored dinosaur, reaching about 6 to 8 meters long. It lived at the very end of the Cretaceous, about 68 to 66 million years ago, in the Lance and Hell Creek Formations of the western United States and the Scollard Formation of Alberta. Despite its fame, it is known from only a few partial skeletons, and isolated teeth and armor pieces make up much of its fossil record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDenversaurus\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eDenversaurus schlessmani was named by Robert Bakker in 1988 from a skull found in the Lance Formation of South Dakota. It was about 5 to 6 meters long and is one of the last nodosaurs known. Like Ankylosaurus, it lived alongside Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus rex. It is closely related to Edmontonia, and some researchers have suggested the two may belong to the same genus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat They Ate\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBoth were low-level plant eaters that fed close to the ground. Their diet likely included:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFerns and low shrubs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFlowering plants, which were common by the end of the Cretaceous\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLeaves and shoots growing near waterways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThey used a broad beak to crop plants. Their teeth were small and leaf-shaped, built for shredding plant material rather than heavy grinding. Ankylosaurus had very small teeth for its body size. Denversaurus, with its narrower snout, may have been a more selective feeder.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArmor and Spikes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe defining feature of both animals was their armor. Osteoderms, bony plates formed in the skin, covered the neck, back, and sides and acted as a natural shield.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRows of larger knobs and plates protected the most exposed areas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnkylosaurus even had bony plates fused to its skull and armor on its eyelids.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIn nodosaurs like Denversaurus, large side and shoulder spikes made the animal difficult to bite or grab.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eNeither animal relied on speed. Instead, they relied on being too difficult and too dangerous to attack.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Tail Club\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe tail club of Ankylosaurus is one of the most recognizable features of any dinosaur. It was made of large osteoderms fused together at the end of the tail. The vertebrae in front of the club were locked together by bony tendons, forming a stiff handle. Studies of tail clubs in related ankylosaurids suggest a full swing could break bone. Even a large predator would need to be careful around an animal that could turn and swing a club into its legs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fossils Online","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63685138546828,"sku":null,"price":215.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0621\/3697\/5500\/files\/DSC05698_0fda7123-546a-4137-8643-04378617d1ed.jpg?v=1794004916","url":"https:\/\/fossilsonline.com\/products\/ankylosaur-denversaurus-tooth-in-display-case","provider":"Fossils Online","version":"1.0","type":"link"}