Aletopelta coombsi

†Aletopelta coombsi was a nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Late Cretaceous (~72 Ma) of California, USA. A quadrupedal armored herbivore, it was named by Ford and Kirkland in 2001. Unusually, its skeleton was found in marine deposits, suggesting the carcass floated out to sea after death. It represents one of the few Cretaceous dinosaurs known from California.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Aletopelta coombsi 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 Late Mesozoic Era

Aletopelta coombsi lived during the Cretaceous Late period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 100.5 to 66.0 million years ago.

The final age of dinosaurs, featuring iconic species like Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Velociraptor. Dinosaurs reached their peak diversity before the catastrophic asteroid impact at the Chicxulub crater ended the Mesozoic Era.