Sauropelta is a nodosaurid ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the United States of America. It was named in 1970 by John Ostrom. Similarly to Gastonia, it was one of the best preserved nodosaurids; as well as this, it was one of the strangest, due to its uniquely-shaped osteoderms.
Physiology[]
Sauropelta was a broad, robust thyreophoran with 4 erect legs and an almost completely armored body. It had a broadened, pointed skull with a small beak in front of its mouth, as well as gigantic, thorn-like spikes protruding from the sides of its neck. Most of its body would have been covered in thick osteoderms, while its underside and legs would have been covered in regular scales.
Diet[]
Sauropelta was an herbivore, feeding on leaves. Its wide snout was used for browsing on plants low to the ground, and the many cheek teeth in the back of its mouth were used for processing plants.
Ecology[]
So far, all we know about Sauropelta is that the giant spikes protruding from its neck as well as the many scutes on its back were used for defense, as predators such as Deinonychus and Acrocanthosaurus would have had a hard time biting into spiky hide; as well as this, it had larger spikes somewhere else on its body (usually said to be on the shoulders, although this is contested nowadays), which would have filled a similar purpose.
In popular culture[]
Sauropelta was featured in the 2009 documentary Monsters Resurrected, where it was shown as being extremely hard prey for Acrocanthosaurus to tackle; in fact, the Acrocanthosaurus that attacked the Sauropelta was forced to do so, as it was inexplicably chased off its previous kill by a pack of Deinonychus.