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Ankylosaurus, armored scute plate, Cretaceous

Ankylosaurus had a tail club that was composed of several large osteoderms, or boney lumps, which were fused to the last few tail vertebra. Its heavyweight was supported by the last seven tail vertebrae, which interlocked to form a stiff rod at the base of the club and were themselves supported by think bony tendons. These allowed great force to be transmitted to the club which could be a devastating weapon against the bones of attackers. The body was covered with heavy, thick, bony plates called scutes giving it the appearance of a giant turtle. Ankylosaurus had small, leaf-shaped teeth suitable for cropping vegetation. They were the smallest teeth of any other related species and it lacked the batteries of teeth found in triceratops showing that it did very little grinding of food with its teeth.

Ankylosaurus lived during the Cretaceous Period.