Akainacephalus johnsoni

†Akainacephalus johnsoni was an ankylosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (~76 Ma) of Utah, USA. A quadrupedal herbivore with a bony tail club and extensive body armor, it was named by Wiersma and Irmis in 2018. Its spiky osteoderms resemble Asian ankylosaurids, suggesting its ancestry involved migration from Asia to North America across the Bering land bridge.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Akainacephalus johnsoni 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

Akainacephalus johnsoni 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.