| Ankylosaurus magniventris | |
|---|---|
|
Anky | |
| |
Basic Info
| |
| Type | Defensive Herbivore
(Ornithoschian: Thyreophoran: Ankylosaurid) |
| Time Period | Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) |
| Diet | Very low browser/grazer |
Ankylosaurus is a rare armored dinosaur that may have favored upland environments. They fed on very low lying fibrous plant matter and fruit.
Ankylosaurus had large clubs at the end of their tails that could allow for tail swings powerful enough to break bone. Although it is not known if they use their tails for defense against predators or fighting each other or both.
Ecology in Dinosystem
Ankylosaurus are solitary herbivores that only come together to mate or to congregate around a concentrated resource. Unlike Triceratops or T.rex, Ankylosaurus do not care for their eggs or young and will ignore youngsters in distress. They also do not require water as often as Triceratops and can do better in drier areas.
Although not aggressive, adults can defend themselves even better than Triceratops and as consequence are seldom preyed upon by predators. However youngsters are weaker and the lack of care from adults makes the young easy targets for predation by adult T.rex. Unlike males, females lack horns (although this was likely not the case in real life).
Ankylosaurus females will at times run away from adult t-rexes.
Ankylosaurus bury their eggs under the terrain, making them hard to spot, and also increasing their longevity ( which makes the eggs hatch faster )
Strategy in Dinosystem Survival
Ankylosaurus eggs are a good source of nutrients and, unlike Triceratops or T.rex, Ankylosaurus do not protect their eggs so if the player finds a nest but isn't hungry then there's no need to rush.
Ankylosaurs are also a source of meat but the adult Ankylosaurus are very difficult to kill and will fearsomely defend themselves. Young Ankylosaurus are less dangerous.
While young Ankylosaurus are more challenging to kill than young Triceratops, adults will not come to their aid so they are much safer to attack.
Resources
- C. Kenneth. 2004. Redescription of Ankylosaurus magniventris Brown 1908 (Ankylosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of the Western Interior of North America.
- V. Arbour. 2009. Estimating impact forces of tail club strikes by ankylosaurid dinosaurs
- J. Mallon & J. Anderson. 2013. Implications of beak morphology for the evolutionary palaeoecology of the megaherbivorous dinosaurs from the Dinosaur Park Formation (upper Campanian) of
Alberta, Canada