Dinosaurs / Cretaceous / Oohkotokia
Oohkotokia
Cretaceous OO-koh-TOH-kee-ah, “large stone child”
Oohkotokia was a robust ankylosaurid dinosaur discovered in the Late Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Montana. Named in 2014, its name is derived from the Blackfoot word for large stone, honouring the indigenous peoples of the region where it was excavated. Reaching around six metres in length, it was an armoured quadruped possessing prominent triangular horns on the corners of its skull and broad plates embedded along its neck and back. Like its relatives, it bore a heavy club at the end of its tail, used for defence against predators like Daspletosaurus. Some paleontologists debate whether Oohkotokia is distinct or represents an adult form of Scolosaurus, but it is currently retained as valid based on unique features of its skull and armor plates.
Its generic name derives from the Blackfoot Native American language referencing its heavy rock-like armour.
Where and when
Oohkotokia lived in the Late Cretaceous, from 75.5 to 74 million years ago (Campanian age). Its remains come from United States, in the Two Medicine Formation.
The numbers
Length 5.5 m (estimates run from 5 to 6 m). Mass about 1.7 t. Hip height about 1.5 m. That is 3.2 human-lengths, or 0.49 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.