Dyoplosaurus

Name: Dyoplosaurus ‭(‬Double armoured lizard‭)‬.
Phonetic: Die-op-loe-sore-us.
Named By: William A.‭ ‬Parks‭ ‬-‭ ‬1924.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Thyreophora,‭ ‬Ankylosauridae,‭ ‬Ankylosaurinae.
Species: D.‭ ‬acutosquameus‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Uncertain due to lack of complete remains,‭ ‬but estimated between‭ ‬4‭ ‬and‭ ‬4.5‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Canada,‭ ‬Alberta‭ ‬-‭ ‬Dinosaur Park Formation.
Time period: Campanian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial skeleton,‭ ‬mostly of the posterior half as well as incomplete skull and jaws.

       When this genus was first discovered,‭ ‬only the posterior portion of an individual ankylosaur remained to be studied.‭ ‬It is thought the anterior half had been previously exposed by erosion and was now lost,‭ ‬though part of the skull and teeth were found.‭ ‬The rear half of the dinosaur,‭ ‬including the tail and even the ossified tendons that held it straight were much better preserved,‭ ‬with the remains being considered amongst the best set of ankylosaur remains discovered for the time.
       Then in‭ ‬1971‭ ‬during a wider evaluation of ankylosaur fossils the palaeontologist Walter Coombs declared that Dyoplosaurus was actually an individual of another genus called Euoplocephalus.‭ ‬This led to the Dyoplosaurus material being re-described as belonging to the Euoplocephalus type species,‭ ‬E.‭ ‬tutus.‭ ‬Here they remained until‭ ‬2009‭ ‬when a re-description of the remains was conducted which saw Dyoplosaurus resurrected as an independent genus.‭ ‬The main validation for this is that the Dyoplosaurus tail is quite different from those of other known ankylosaurs and is unique enough to allow for a clear identification of further ankylosaur remains that preserve the tail and hind quarters.




Further reading
-Dyoplosaurus acutosquameus,‭ ‬a new genus and species of armoured dinosaur‭; ‬and notes on a skeleton of Prosaurolophus maximus,‭ ‬William A.‭ ‬Parks‭ ‬-‭ ‬1924
-A redescription of the ankylosaurid dinosaur Dyoplosaurus acutosquameus Parks,‭ ‬1924‭ (‬Ornithischia:‭ ‬Ankylosauria‭) ‬and a revision of the genus,‭ ‬Victoria M.‭ ‬Arboura,‭ ‬Michael E.‭ ‬Burnsa‭ & ‬Robin L.‭ ‬Sissonsa‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.



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