Saltasaurus

dinosaur · sauropod · armor · late cretaceous

Armored sauropod. Saltasaurus was the first sauropod dinosaur ever discovered to have armor made of bony plates called osteoderms embedded right into its skin, like a dinosaur wearing chain mail.

Shorter and stubbier. Unlike most sauropods with long, stretchy necks, Saltasaurus had a short neck and stubby legs, making it look quite different from its tall cousins.

Still super heavy. Even though Saltasaurus was smaller than other sauropods, it would still weigh way more than any animal alive today because it was such a massive dinosaur.

Spread the armor idea. Once scientists found Saltasaurus with its bony plates, they discovered that other sauropors called titanosaurs had similar armor too, solving a mystery about how these giant dinosaurs stayed safe.