Tatankacephalus cooneyorum

† Tatankacephalus cooneyorum is an Early Cretaceous nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Cloverly Formation of Montana. Its name references a bison ('tatanka' in Lakota), reflecting its robust head and body armor characteristic of nodosaurid ankylosaurs.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Tatankacephalus cooneyorum was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Tatankacephalus cooneyorum lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145,0 to 100,5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.