Euoplocephalus

Euoplocephalus is one of the classic armoured dinosaurs of North America, having lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now Alberta, Canada. Measuring approximately six metres in length and weighing over two tonnes, this squat, tank-like animal was protected by an intricate system of oval plates, keeled scutes, and neck collars. Remarkably, even its eyelids were reinforced with small bony shutters, offering complete facial protection. Its heavy tail culminated in an iconic bony club, swung on a stiffened handle of fused caudal vertebrae to shatter the legs of carnivorous theropods. Euoplocephalus grazed with a broad, toothless beak, grinding tough terrestrial vegetation with rows of small fluted teeth. Although historical studies pooled various Canadian ankylosaurs under its name, modern revisions have refined its definition.

It even possessed armoured bony plates embedded in its eyelids to protect its eyes from attacks.

Where and when

Euoplocephalus lived in the Late Cretaceous, from 76.4 to 75 million years ago (Campanian age). Its remains come from Canada, in the Dinosaur Park Formation.

The numbers

Length 5.8 m (estimates run from 5.5 to 6 m). Mass about 2.2 t. Hip height about 1.5 m. That is 3.4 human-lengths, or 0.52 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from near-complete skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

Compare Euoplocephalus with a bus Place on the timeline