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'Talarurus plicatospineus' — an armoured dinosaur

Object Description

‘Talarurus plicatospineus’ belonged to the group Armoured Dinosaurs and Frilled Dinosaurs which were four-legged herbivorous dinosaurs with armour plated skin or bony frills.  Its name (tal-uh-roor-us) means basket tail. The fossils of ‘Talarurus’ were discovered in Mongolia. 

‘Talarurus’ was a herbivore measuring 5 metres. ‘Talarurus’ lived 99–89 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous.

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Educational Value Statement

'Talarurus' was an ankylosaur dinosaur, known from several fossils unearthed in Mongolia in the 1950s. Ankylosaurs were the most heavily armoured dinosaurs, and 'Talarurus' was one of the best equipped of these. Its back and sides were entirely covered with thick bony plates that had short protruding spikes. These spikes had a corrugated appearance, and were even on its cheeks and the back of its head.

'Talarurus' was a herbivore. It had a beak-like snout to nip off plant material and small teeth at the back of its mouth, which suggests that it swallowed rather than chewed its food.

The most potent form of active defence available to 'Talarurus' was its tail. This was armoured, held rigid by stiff tendons and had a club of fused bones at its end. Strong muscles at the base of the tail would have allowed it to be swung with great force at an attacker such as 'Tarbosaurus', aided by the animal’s ability to swivel quickly. 'Talarurus' may not have been able to run fast, but it could spin quickly and wallop its attacker with its tail!

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