| Euoplocephalus | |
|---|---|
| |
| A restoration of Euoplocephalus tutus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Cerapoda |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Superorder: | Ornithopoda |
| Genus: | †Euoplocephalus Lambe, 1910 |
| Type species | |
| †Euoplocephalus tutus Lambe, 1902 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Euoplocephalus (Greek, "well-armed head") belonged to the Ankylosaur family. It lived during the Cretaceous period until the great extinction. It was one of the final species in a long line of evolving Ankylosaurs. Euoplocephalus often traveled in herds of Iguanodonts which offered protection to itself and to the Iguanodonts and the Euoplocephalus. It is very likely it was similar in appearance to it's relative, Ankylosaurus, except that the Euoplocephalus had armour on its head, unlike the Ankylosaurus.
Euoplocephalus body was covered in "armor", which was actually bone plating, which protected it from predators. Its tail was a giant club, much like a mace, that could be used as a weapon to defend itself from predators. It is believed that it would lay down and pull its limbs under the boney plates to keep itself from being damaged, and then it would swing its tail until a predator lost interest or became mortally injured by the club like tail. Some paleontologists believed this was such a good adaptation that if the great extinction didn't occur Euoplocephalus might still have been alive today.
In the Media
Url an Euoplocephalus from Disney's Dinosaur
- This dinosaur was featured in the Disney movie, Dinosaur, as Earl, a pet which acted like a dog. Of course, this was not meant to be accurate, but for entertainment.
Walking with Dinosaurs website Euoplocephalus
- Euoplocephalus was a dinosaur featured in the novel, Jurassic Park.
- Euoplocephalus also appears in the toyline for Jurassic Park III, despite never appearing in the film.
- It has also appeared on the updated version of the Walking with Dinosaurs website.
- It apparently fell back into extinction after the Isla Nublar Incident of 2015 before Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
- It also appeared in Jurassic World: The Game and Jurassic Park Builder as a purchasable dinosaur.
- In the PlayStation Game Version of The Lost World: Jurassic Park it was seen as a boss level fighting the Velociraptor.
- Euoplocephalus appears in a few episodes of Dinosaur King.
- Euoplocephalus appears in a dozen episodes of Dinosaur Train. There's a character named Eugene Euoplocephalus that lives by The Big Pond & is the areas for expert of Dino Ball.
- Euoplocephalus appears in a dozen episodes & Three Seasons of Dino Dan.
- Euoplocephalus will be in Jurassic World: Alive.
- Euoplocephalus is seen in the ending credits of The Land Before Time II: the Great Valley Adventure, sleeping next to Scutosaurus, Saurolophus and Moschops.
Gallery
