Ankylosaurus
“ Yes... this here is an Ankylosaurus. Strong, armored... and with a tail it can wield like a massive club. Even in the Cretaceous period, sometimes a blunt object could be more effective than a sharp one. ”
– George Lambert
Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: †Ornithischia
Suborder: †Ankylosauria
Family: †Ankylosauridae
Tribe: †Ankylosaurini
Genus: †Ankylosaurus
Species: †Ankylosaurus magniventris
Descendant: Nodocephalosaurus?
Named by: Barnum Brown
Year Published: 1908
Size: 1.7 meters tall in height; 6 – 8 meters (20 and 26 feet) in length; 4,800 – 8,000 kilograms in weight
Lifespan: 10–30+ years
Type:
Reptiles (Ankylosaurs)
Title:
Living Tank
Pantheon:
Terran/Gaian
Time Period: Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), 68–65 Ma
Alignment: Neutral
Threat Level: ★★★★★★
Diet: Herbivorous
Elements: Earth, combat
Inflicts: Earthed; blunted; stunned
Weaknesses: Water, ice, metal, fae, arcane
Casualties: ???
Based On: itself
Conservation Status:
Earth (Late Cretaceous): Not Evaluated (NE) – IUCN Red List
Earth (Paleocene-present): Extinct (EX) – IUCN Red List (via Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event)
Berbania/Hirawhassa: Extinct in the Wild (EW) – IUCN Red List
Reinachos/Ityosel: Vulnerable (VU) – IUCN Red List
Delphia/Thatrollwa: Vulnerable (VU) – IUCN Red List
Gaddedla/Gaddeðla (Ankylosaurus magniventris) or Shellmace, is the extinct species of armored dinosaur. Its fossils have been found in geological formations dating to the very end of the Cretaceous Period, about 68–66 million years ago, in western North America, making it among the last of the non-avian dinosaurs.
Etymology
The generic name means "fused" or "bent lizard", and the specific name means "great belly". In 1906, an American Museum of Natural History expedition led by American paleontologist Barnum Brown scientifically described the animal in 1908. The generic name is derived from the Greek words αγκυλος ankylos ('bent' or 'crooked'), referring to the medical term ankylosis, the stiffness produced by the fusion of bones in the skull and body, and σαυρος sayros ('lizard'). The name can be translated as "fused lizard", "stiff lizard", or "curved lizard". The type species name, magniventris, is derived from the Latin: magnus ('great') and Latin: venter ('belly'), referring to the great width of the animal's body.
Physical Appearance
Ankylosaurus was the largest-known ankylosaurine dinosaur and possibly the largest ankylosaurid. The orbits (eye sockets) were almost round to slightly oval and did not face directly sideways because the skull tapered towards the front. The braincase was short and robust, as in other ankylosaurines. Crests above the orbits merged into the upper squamosal horns or pyramidal, which pointed backwards to the sides from the back of the skull.
Its skin is adorned with a thick coating of spikes, bony plates, osteoderms, and fused bone. The head has plentiful spikes, as well as a beak at the tip of the mouth and enlarged nasals. They are relatively low to the ground with short legs and a low head; they protect themselves by wielding a wicked club on the end of their muscular tails. The only region not covered with body armor is the belly. Their skin color was possibly chestnut-brown with light brown face to belly, with the light orange spikes and bony plates, grayish-brown glove-and-sock patterns, grayish nails, dull beak, and large brownish club. The eye color is hazel.
Abilities
Ankylosaurus uses its huge tail club as a defensive weapon: this attack has a fairly large range and can deal a respectable amount of damage. Causing blunted and earthed inflicts, as well as high chance of being stunned by Ankylosaurus. The club was used to swing around and smash into an attacking enemies.
Weaknesses
Would-be predators would have had to flip this armored dinosaur over to reach its broad underbelly—its only weak spot.
Ecology
Ankylosaurus is a member of the family Ankylosauridae, and its closest relatives appear to be Anodontosaurus and Euoplocephalus. Ankylosaurus is thought to have been a slow-moving animal, able to make quick movements when necessary. Its broad muzzle indicates it was a non-selective browser. Its displaced nostrils might signal an evolutionary change in its diet or sense of smell. Ankylosaurus shared its environment with other dinosaurs that included the ceratopsids Triceratops and Torosaurus, the hypsilophodont Thescelosaurus, the hadrosaurid Edmontosaurus, an indeterminate nodosaur, the pachycephalosaurian Pachycephalosaurus, and the theropods Struthiomimus, Ornithomimus, Pectinodon, and Tyrannosaurus.
The formations where Ankylosaurus fossils have been found represent different sections of the western shore of the Western Interior Seaway dividing western and eastern North America during the Cretaceous, a broad coastal plain extending westward from the seaway to the newly formed Rocky Mountains.
Behavior
Ankylosaurus can be found peacefully wandering around this area in herds. They will not attack unless provoked, and since they can deal a devastating blow with their tail club if angered, it is best for survivors to leave this beast alone from harm.
Distribution and Habitat
This animal found in the Lance and Ferris Formations in Wyoming, the Scollard Formation in Alberta, and the Frenchman Formation in Saskatchewan, all of which date to the end of the Cretaceous. The formations, where it would have been less likely to fossilize, rather than the coastal lowlands. Another ankylosaur, a nodosaur referred to as Edmontonia., is also found in the same formations, but according to Carpenter, the range of the two genera does not seem to have overlapped. Their remains have so far not been found in the same localities, and the nodosaur appears to have inhabited the lowlands.
Movement Pattern: Initially Migrant
Individual Type: Solo, later herd
Population Trend: Stable
Population:
Earth (Holocene): 0
Berbania: 3,000
Reinachos: 6,000
Delphia: 6,000-7,000
Sawintir: 5,700-6,200
Locomotion: Terrestrial
Habitat: All
Earth: Canada; Honduras; Mexico; United States
Tamed
Ankylosaurus is relatively easy to knock out due to its slow movement speed. Even when attacked, the Ankylosaurus is easy to outrun, making nearly any ranged attack effective. The best method to knock it out would be using tranquilizer ammos, but if neither are available then a simple slingshot or taser gun will do the trick but may take longer than a tranquilizer dart or arrow.
Lore
300 AD
Ankylosaurus was resurrected by Elves and other Avalonian races using Drift Portals and brought any prehistoric animals from prehistoric times and antiquity to the Holocene in Avalon and Delphia by Queen Aelfaria of Fhandreliva, the elven queen.
Known Individuals
NMC 8880 (at Northeastern Montana, USA)
CCM V03
AMNH 5214
AMNH 5895
USNM 8360
Gallery
300 AD
Ankylosaurus was resurrected by Elves and other Avalonian races using Drift Portals and brought any prehistoric animals from prehistoric times and antiquity to the Holocene in Avalon and Delphia by Queen Aelfaria of Fhandreliva, the elven queen.
Foreign Languages
Coming soon
Trivia
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