Polacanthus
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Early Cretaceous (130–125 Mya)
- Place
- United Kingdom
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Nodosauridae Dinosauria Ornithischia Thyreophora Ankylosauria Ankylosaurs without the tail club.
Polacanthus (from the Ancient Greek polys-/πολύς- “many” and akantha/ἄκανθα “thorn” or “prickle”) is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian dinosaurs from the early Cretaceous (130–125 million years ago) of England. Several species have been named in the genus Polacanthus, but only the type species, Polacanthus foxii, is currently seen as valid. There are not many fossil remains of this dinosaur, and some important anatomical features, such as its skull, are poorly known. It grew to about 4-5 long. Its body was covered with armour plates and spikes. It may be a basal member of the Nodosauridae or part of a separate family, the Polacanthidae.
What we know
- Named by Owen vide Anonymous, 1865.
- Body length estimated at about 5 m.
- Fossils found in United Kingdom.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Polacanthus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.