Name:
Nodosaurus (Greek for "knobby lizard"); pronounced NO-doe-SORE-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of North America
Historical Period:
Middle Cretaceous (110-100 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 15 feet long and one ton
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Tough, scaly plates on back
About Nodosaurus:
For a dinosaur that gave its name to an entire prehistoric family--the nodosaurs, which were closely associated with the ankylosaurs--not a whole lot is known about Nodosaurus. To date, no complete fossil of this armored herbivore has been found, though Nodosaurus has a very distinguished pedigree, having been named by the famous paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh way back in 1889.
Unlike the ankylosaurs, nodosaurs in general (and Nodosaurus in particular) lacked clubs on the ends of their tails. As far as defensive maneuvers go, Nodosaurus was probably limited to flopping on its belly and daring any hungry carnivore to try to flip it over!
