Dinosaurs A to Z
Nodosauridae

Pawpawsaurus campbelli

"Pawpaw Lizard"

Generic ankylosaur body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Pawpawsaurus 4.5 m (14.8 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic ankylosaur body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Pawpawsaurus
Length
4.5 m (14.8 ft)
Period
Early Cretaceous (105–100 Mya)
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Nodosauridae Dinosauria Ornithischia Thyreophora Ankylosauria Ankylosaurs without the tail club.

Pawpawsaurus, meaning “Pawpaw Lizard”, is a nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Cretaceous (late Albian) of Tarrant County, Texas, discovered in May 1992. The only species yet assigned to this taxon, Pawpawsaurus campbelli, is based on a complete skull (lacking mandibles) from the marine Paw Paw Formation (Washita Group).

What we know

  • Named by Lee, 1996.
  • Body length estimated at about 4.5 m.

What we guess

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