Pinacosaurus
"Plank lizard"
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (75–71 Mya)
- Place
- Asia · China · Mongolia
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Ankylosauridae Dinosauria Ornithischia Thyreophora Ankylosauria Club-tailed armored herbivores.
Pinacosaurus (meaning “Plank lizard”) is a genus of ankylosaurid thyreophoran dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous (Campanian, roughly 75 to 71 million years ago), mainly in Mongolia and China.
The first remains of the genus were found in 1923, and the type species Pinacosaurus grangeri was named in 1933. Pinacosaurus mephistocephalus named in 1999, is a second possibly valid species differing from the type species in details of the skull armour. At least 24 Pinacosaurus skeletons have been found, possibly more than of any other ankylosaur. These predominantly consist of juveniles. Adult fossils have not been found in groups.
What we know
- Named by Gilmore, 1933.
- Body length estimated at about 5 m.
- Fossils found in Asia and China.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Pinacosaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.