Nodosaurus

dinosaur · armored · herbivore · Wyoming

Built-in armor suit. Nodosaurus was covered from head to tail in thick, bony plates and spikes called osteoderms that protected it like a suit of armor. This made it one of the toughest dinosaurs to mess with, even though it only ate plants.

Peaceful plant-eater. Unlike the fearsome T-rex, Nodosaurus spent its days munching on low-growing plants and shrubs. Its small teeth were perfectly designed for grinding up tough vegetation, not for hunting.

Found only in Wyoming. All the Nodosaurus fossils we know about come from rocks in the Frontier Formation in Wyoming. This tells us exactly where and when this dinosaur lived, around 95 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous.

Part of ankylosaur family. Nodosaurus belonged to a group of dinosaurs called ankylosaurs that were basically walking fortresses. These dinosaurs evolved their heavy armor as protection, which made them survive much longer than many other dinosaurs.

Heavy and sturdy. With all that bony plating, Nodosaurus was a slow-moving dinosaur built like a tank rather than a sprinter. It didn't need to run away because its armor was defense enough against most predators.