| Akainacephalus | |
|---|---|
| |
| An artist's (Andrey Atuchin) illustration of Akainacephalus johnsoni | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Family: | †Ankylosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Ankylosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Akainacephalus 2018 |
| Species: | †A. johnsoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Akainacephalus johnsoni 2018 | |
Akainacephalus (meaning thorn head) is a genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur that existed about 76 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous. The remains were found in Utah. The only known species, Akainacephalus johnsoni, described in 2018.[1]
Description[]
Akainacephalus, is a medium-sized dinosaur, and was 13-16 feet long (4-5 meters) and was 3 ½ feet tall (1—1.5 meters) at the hips. It's body and head were heavily ornamented.
The spikes and cones of bony armor on the skull of Akainacephalus are similar to those found on the New Mexican ankylosaurid Nodocephalosaurus but distinct from all other known Late Cretaceous Laramidian ankylosaurids such as Ankylosaurus, Euoplocephalus, and Ziapelta, indicating these two species are more closely related to some Asian ankylosaurids.
Classification[]
It is classified as a member of ankylosauridae. Its sister taxon is Nodocephalosaurus.
Paleoecology[]
Akainacephalus was found together with skeletons of several other animals at the same site, including the hadrosaur Gryposaurus, a recently-described species of turtle (Arvinachelys), Teratophoneus, and a yet unnamed relative.
Gallery[]
