Dinosaurs A to Z
Nodosauridae

Patagopelta cristata

"Patagonian shield"

Generic ankylosaur body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Patagopelta 2 m (6.6 ft) long
as long as 2 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic ankylosaur body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Patagopelta
Length
2 m (6.6 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (100–66 Mya)
Place
Argentina
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Nodosauridae Dinosauria Ornithischia Thyreophora Ankylosauria Ankylosaurs without the tail club.

Patagopelta (meaning “Patagonian shield”) is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (upper Campanian–lower Maastrichtian) Allen Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, P. cristata, known from several partial skeletons, isolated bones, and osteoderms. While originally described as a member of the family Nodosauridae, later discoveries provided support for parankylosaurian affinities. Patagopelta is a small armored dinosaur, comparable in size to the ‘dwarf’ nodosaurid Struthiosaurus, at about 2 m long. It is larger, more robust, and more heavily armored than other paranklyosaurs such as Stegouros.

What we know

  • Named by Riguetti et al., 2022.
  • Body length estimated at about 2 m.
  • Fossils found in Argentina.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Patagopelta — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.