Name:
Silvisaurus (Greek for "woodland lizard"); pronounced SILL-vih-SORE-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of North America
Historical Period:
Middle Cretaceous (110-100 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 13 feet long and one ton
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Armor plating; spines along sides
About Silvisaurus:
The euphoniously named Silvisaurus (Greek for "woodland lizard") was a member of the subgroup of ankylosaurs known as nodosaurs, squat, armored, four-legged dinosaurs lacking clubs on their tails. Judging by the single specimen found so far (at a fossil bed in Kansas), Silvisaurus was an especially primitive member of its breed, closely related to other early nodosaurs like Sauropelta and Pawpawsaurus.
