Nodosaurus Weighed as much as 2 Grizzly Bears!

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The Nodosaurs was an early Cretaceous to late Cretaceous dinosaur that lived in North America. The first fossils were unearthed by notable paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in 1881, which gave it a name meaning knobbed lizard thanks to its very heavy armor plating.

Some Quick Facts About the Nodosaurus

Nodosaurus
Nodosaurus
Name  Nodosaurus textilis, “Knobbed lizard”
Type of dinosaurOrnithischia, Ankylosaur
Territory Grassy plains of North America
Size Medium, 18 feet long, 9 feet tall, 7,600 pounds
ColorBrown
Interesting CharacteristicsThe Nodosaurus has a large body but a very small head and brain, and had very heavy armor plating that protected it from predators
DietPlants
Major ThreatsTheropods, natural disasters

During the late Cretaceous period, the Nodosaurus was like a giant tank roaming the marshes of Alberta, Canada. It had a short, stalky body and tiny little head, resembling a modern-day armadillo. While it didn’t have the tail club to use as a weapon like other Ankylosaurs, it didn’t need it! Its armor was reinforced with knobby scales that provided a lot of protection.

What Was The Size Of the Nodosaurus?

The Nodosaurus was a stalky prehistoric animal that was longer than it was tall and very, very heavy! It measured around 18 feet long and stood slightly over 9 feet tall. What’s interesting about this stalky dino is its massive weight.

Despite its relatively small size (especially compared to colossal dinos of the late Cretaceous period), the Nodosaurus was heavy. It weighed almost 8,000 pounds, which is surprisingly heavy given its size.

What Color Was The Nodosaurus?

Nodosaurus
Nodosaurus

The Nodosaurus was brown to reddish-brown. Unlike other dinos, paleontologists know that the Nodosaurus was brown. With other dinos, like the T-Rex, paleontologists can only guess about its coloring.

However, in 2011 paleontology discovered an almost perfectly preserved (or mummified) specimen of the Nodosaurus in Alberta that told us a lot about this prehistoric dino, especially its color.

This Nodosaurus specimen contained a chemical compound called pheomelanin. Pheomelanin is a chemical found in humans with red hair, so it’s likely that the Nodosaurus was brown.

What Was The Main Thing That the Nodosaurus Ate?

The Nodosaur was a herbivore and lived on a diet of 100 percent plants in marshes. In the cooler climates of North America, the Nodosaurus lived on soft plants like conifer leaves and common cycad.

It used its sharp beak to snap the leaves off delicate plants and had a mouth of very tiny teeth for chewing. Its teeth made it difficult to chew harder plant life like twigs and branches, so it stuck to soft plants like ferns and conifers.

Who Did the Nodosaurus Live With?

The Nodosaurus, a late Cretaceous dino, had some pretty famous neighbors. As a dino that lived in cooler climates of North America, it shared a neighborhood with similar peaceful herbivores like:

  • Ankylosaurus
  • Triceratops
  • Stegosaurus
  • Pachycephalosaurus
  • Iguanodon

However, it also shared space with scary predators like the T-Rex, Spinosaurus, Giganotosaurus, and Albertosaurus. While it had some aggressive neighbors, these armored dinosaurs had plenty of protection to protect them from apex predators lurking about.

What Is The Difference Between the Nodosaurus And An Ankylosaurus?

Nodosaurids and Ankylosauria look similar initially, but a few differences make the Nodosaurus stand out from the crowd. The biggest difference between these two armored dinos lies in their tails.

The Ankylosaurus had a large tail club at the end of its that (that it used as a weapon), while the Nodosaurus did not. However, what the Nodosaurus lacked in a club-like tail, it made up for in extra armor (called scutes).

The Nodosaurus had extra spikes on its back (something that Ankylosaurids did not have), which added another layer of protection against predators.

What Is The Most Interesting Fact About the Nodosaurus?

The thick armor-plating of the Nodosaurus was so hard that it was one of the few dinosaurs that could survive an attack from a mighty T-Rex!

The bony plates of the Nodosaurus were so thick that the Tyrannosaurus Rex’s massive bite force and razor-sharp teeth weren’t enough to break through. In most cases, the T-Rex would move on to easier prey and leave the Nodosaurus alone for easier prey.

Tara Summerville

Tara is an artistic writer who loves shaping language around her message. For her, dinosaurs are one of the most remarkable creatures to set foot on Earth. She loves hanging out with goats, overanalyzing TV shows, and eating feijoada with farofa.

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