Description
Sauropelta was a medium-sized armored dinosaur that lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous, about 108 million years ago. This peaceful plant eater used its protective array of bony armor and spines to defend itself from hungry hunters.
- Scientific Name: Sauropelta edwardsorum
- Characteristics: Sauropelta was a medium-sized herbivore that reached about 17 feet long. It had a small beaked head, a long tail, and walked on all fours. It had five fingers and four toes. Most notably it had an impressive covering of armor that consisted of bony plates on the back, hips, and tail, a row of triangular spine-like projections along its flanks, and large pointed spines on its neck.
- Size and Color: This beautifully detailed figure is 7.25 inches long and 2.5 inches high. It is dusty orange brown to help it blend into its floodplain habitat.
- The Sauropelta is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection
- All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free
History
Sauropelta was named in 1970 based on fossil material from Wyoming and Montana. This material was collected by the American Museum of Natural History during the 1930s, and by the Yale Peabody Museum during the 1960s. In 1984 paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter restudied this and other material, along with fossil footprints referred to Sauropelta, which led to an accurate reconstruction of the skeleton and armor. This makes Sauropelta one of the best understood of all the ankylosaurs, or ‘armored dinosaurs’.
Sauropelta’s impressive armor consisted of a dense mosaic of bony plates over the back, hips, and tail, a row of triangular projections along the flanks of the body, and large pointed spines on the neck. The largest of these spines was originally thought to have come from the tail, like the tail spikes of a Stegosaurus. However, it actually belonged to the neck and helped protect this delicate part of the anatomy. Sauropelta’ bony ‘suit of armor’ was embedded into its skin to provide effective protection.
Most Sauropelta remains come from the Cloverly Formation in North America. This rock formation formed during the Early Cretaceous, about 108 million years ago. At this time, Sauropelta lived on the floodplains around rivers, where it browsed for low vegetation. The Cloverly Formation outcrops today in modern day Wyoming and Montana.
- Recommended Age: 3+
- Size in cm: 18 L x 6 W x H
- Size in inches: 7.09 L x 2.36 W x 0.0 H
- UPC: 095866305109
