Ankylosaur Osteoderm-Texas

Taxa: Indeterminate Ankylosauridae

Element: Osteoderm

Geology: Aguja formation

Age: Cretaceous-Campanian

Locality: Brewster County, Texas

Ankylosauridae

Ankylosauridae is a family of heavily armored, herbivorous dinosaurs that lived during the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous periods. These dinosaurs were characterized by their robust, low-slung bodies, thick bony plates (osteoderms) embedded in the skin, and, in many species, a large club-like structure at the end of their tail, used for defense. They were quadrupedal and had wide, barrel-shaped bodies, with a diet consisting primarily of low-lying plants. Ankylosaurs were slow-moving but well-protected from predators due to their tough armor. They are often found in fossil deposits alongside other herbivorous dinosaurs, indicating they inhabited a variety of environments, including coastal, floodplain, and forested regions. Some well-known members of this group include Ankylosaurus and Euoplocephalus.

Ankylosaurs from the Aguja Formation were armored dinosaurs known for their heavy, bony body armor and, in some cases, a clubbed tail. These herbivores lived during the Late Cretaceous period and are represented by fragmentary fossil evidence from the formation. Their armor consisted of osteoderms (bony plates) embedded in the skin, offering protection from predators. Ankylosaurs from the Aguja Formation likely lived in coastal floodplains and possibly interacted with other herbivores like hadrosaurs. Though not as abundant in the fossil record of the region as some other dinosaur groups, their presence suggests a diverse and complex ecosystem.

Aguja formation

The Aguja Formation is a Late Cretaceous geological formation in West Texas, primarily exposed in the Big Bend National Park region. It dates to the Campanian stage (approximately 80–72 million years ago) and consists of fluvial, coastal, and deltaic deposits. The formation preserves a diverse fossil record, including dinosaurs such as hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, pachycephalosaurs, tyrannosaurs, and dromaeosaurs, as well as turtles, crocodilians, and early mammals. The Aguja Formation provides important insights into the ecosystems of North America during the Late Cretaceous, showing a rich and varied landscape of rivers, floodplains, and coastal environments.