Fun Tatankacephalus Facts For Kids

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How do you pronounce 'Tatankacephalus'?

The name Tatankacephalus is pronounced as 'Tah-tan-kah-sef-ah-luss'. The name originates from the Lakhota word Tatanka meaning bison and the Greek word 'kephale' meaning head.

What type of dinosaur was a Tatankacephalus?

The Tatankacephalus dinosaur is a genus of nodosaurid dinosaurs that belong to the order Ornithischia. The Nodosauridae is a family of late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous species which includes the ankylosaurian dinosaurs. The Tatankacephalus is often confused with a similarly named species, the Tatankaceratops. This armored dinosaur lived during the Early Cretaceous period.

In which geological period did the Tatankacephalus roam the Earth?

Tatankacephalus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, they were a part of the Aptian and Albian ages of the Early Cretaceous. They roamed around on the earth's surface between 113 million years ago and 100.5 million years ago.

When did the Tatankacephalus become extinct?

The Tatankacephalus inhabited parts of the United States in Northern Hemisphere around 112 million years ago when the Aptian age of the Cretaceous Period persisted. They went extinct 100.5 million years ago in the early Albian age of the Early Cretaceous.

Where did Tatankacephalus live?

The fossils of Tatankacephalus were discovered from the region of the Middle Dome in Wheatland County, Central Montana. The first specimen was discovered in 1997 and over the few years, Kris and Bill Parsons continued going back to the region to retrieve more. The new dinosaur was documented in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.

What was the Tatankacephalus's habitat?

The Tatankacephalus lived in terrestrial habitats like most of the other dinosaurs in earth's history. When Tatankacephalus was discovered for the first time, they were found along the hillside of Montana. Consequently, it is believed that Tatankacephalus preferred to live in a ridge type of habitat.

Who did the Tatankacephalus live with?

Only the skeleton of the type species of Tatankacephalus, Tatankacephalus cooneyorum was discovered but there is no mention of the skeletons found in bone beds in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences or in any other journals.

How long did a Tatankacephalus live?

The Tatankacephalus lived during the Early Cretaceous period. They came into existence around 113-112 million years ago in the Aptian age and live on earth for around 10 million years. They went extinct in the early Albian age around 100 million years ago.

How did they reproduce?

The Tatankacephalus reproduced by laying eggs like all other dinosaurs belonging to the class Reptilia. It is difficult to infer any additional information regarding the reproductive characteristic of the Tatankacephalus from its fossils.

What did the Tatankacephalus look like?

The Tatankacephalus was an armored dinosaur forming a major evolutionary link between the primitive ankylosaurs and the modern ankylosaurs. The modern ankylosaurs were characterized by larger horns and a highly curved nasal area. The Tatankacephalus cooneyorum was in a transitional phase, they had small horns and a slightly curved nose. They had a domed head and round eye sockets. The two thick domes at the back of the skull and thick areas around the nasal region ensured the protection of the animal along with the head horns.

How many bones did a Tatankacephalus have?

The total number of bones present in the body of a Tatankacephalus is unknown. The dinosaur is known from fragmentary remains of the partial skull, rib fragments, a possible limb bone, and two osteoderms. Later, Kris and Bill Parsons of the Buffalo Museum of Science could excavate nearly a complete skull.

How did they communicate?

The communication methods of Tatankacephalus cooneyorum are not detailed, probably communicated by vocalizations.

How big was the Tatankacephalus?

The average length of a Tatankacephalus was 23 ft (7 m). They were slightly bigger than Pararhabdodon.

How fast could a Tatankacephalus move?

A Tatankacephalus was a huge dinosaur with heavy body armor. These features made the animal slow, however, its speed is not known.

How much did a Tatankacephalus weigh?

The Tatankacephalus species weighs 5511.6 lb (2500 kg) or more.

What were the male and female names of the species?

The male and female species do not have any specific names. Both of them are referred to as Tatankacephalus.

What would you call a baby Tatankacephalus?

A baby Tatankacephalus is called a nestling or a hatchling.

How aggressive were they?

They were herbivorous in nature which made them less aggressive than the flesh-eating predators. It can be assumed they were not very greedy.

Did You Know…

A paleontologist of the Ohio University who was not involved in this research praised the research work done by Parsons and the documentation in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences which gives a clear view of the evolution of armored dinosaurs.

*We've been unable to source an image of Tatankacephalus and have used an image of Ankylosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Tatankacephalus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected]

*We've been unable to source an image of Tatankacephalus and have used an image of Lesothosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Tatankacephalus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected]