Name:
Gastonia ("Gaston's lizard"); pronounced gas-TOE-nee-ah
Habitat:
Woodlands of North America
Historical Period:
Early Cretaceous (125 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 15 feet long and one ton
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Low-slung body; paired spines on back and shoulders
About Gastonia:
One of the earliest of all the ankylosaurs (armored dinosaurs), Gastonia's claim to fame is that its remains were found in the same quarry as those of Utahraptor--the largest, and fiercest, of all the North American raptors. We can’t know for sure, but it seems likely that Gastonia was on Utahraptor's menu, which would explain its elaborate back armor and shoulder spikes. (The only way Utahraptor could have made a meal of Gastonia would have been to flip it onto its back and bite its soft belly, which must not have been an easy task!)
