The Euoplocephalus lives up to its name, which means 'well-armed head'. A distinctive feature of Euoplocephalus is its armored eyelids, which offered protection against predators. This eye protection is particularly useful for an Ankylosaurid, as their head is at ground level and is vulnerable to claw attacks. Like other Ankylosaurids, Euoplocephalus had a powerful club that it used for defense. The club could have exerted an impact force of 500 to 1000 newtons.
Discovery
The first Euoplocephalus was discovered in 1897 by the Canadian paleontologist Lawrence Morris Lambe, in the area now known as the Dinosaur Provincial Park. The specimen was initially used as the holotype of a seemingly new species, Stereocephalus tutus - meaning 'solid head', however, it had to be renamed to Euoplocephalus in 1910 when Lambe found out the name was already occupied by a species of beetles.Euoplocephalus fossils share their discovery location with a number of other Ankylosaurids, and as a result, the number of confirmed Euoplocephalus specimens has shrunk as they have been reassigned to other species.
Paleoecology
Euoplocephalus inhabited an environment with a rich floral variety. Fish and amphibian fossils suggest plentiful water bodies in the region.
Cohabitation Preferences