Ankylosauria

†Ankylosauria is the major clade of armoured thyreophoran dinosaurs, including nodosaurids and ankylosaurids, first appearing in the Early Cretaceous with fossils found in Russia. These quadrupedal herbivores were encased in bony osteoderms and reached lengths of up to 9m. Ankylosaurs were globally distributed and survived until the end-Cretaceous extinction 66 million years ago.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Ankylosauria 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

Ankylosauria 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.