Ankylosaurus

Ankylosaurus (an - KIE - loh - SAW - rus) was a genus in the Family. They lived during Late Cretaceous Period in western North America. Ankylosaurus takes its name from the bony nature of its skeleton. "Ankylosed" means "stiffened with bone"-and this is a fair description. The head was covered with an extra layer of bony plates and spikes, the back and tail were covered by interlocking bony shields, and the vertebrae at the end of the tail were welded together by bone.

The heavy, bony tail club was wielded like a wrecking ball and could do serious damage to any attacking predator. Despite the weight of the tail club and its position at the end of a long, heavy tail, the club was carried clear of the ground. Trackways made by Ankylosaurus and its kin show no signs of a tail dragging behind. Like its close relative Euoplocephalus, Ankylosaurus had a complex systems of loops and twists in its nasal passages. These may have been for warming air, reclaiming water from expiring air, or for enhancing the sense of smell. It is also possible that they were used as a resonating chamber, helping the creature to make loud mating or distress calls.

Ankylosaurus was like a tank, with lots of thick, bony armor on its body. It also had a nasty weapon, a heavy club on the end of its tail, which it could swing around and smash into an attacking dinosaur. There probably weren't many creatures, even a big T. rex, who would want to mess with this guy.

More real-life information: Ankylosaurus on Wikipedia.

Movies
First seen in, Ankylosaurus doesn't play a major role in the movies. Two are briefly seen wandering the jungles of Isla Sorna, and it is also seen grazing during the "Valley of the Dinosaurs" scene. They also may have been enemies with T-rex and Spinosaurus.

Jurassic Park inspired games

 * Ankylosaurus is fought as a boss in Area 2 of Jurassic Park III (arcade game).
 * Ankylosaurus may be seen as a four-star large herbivore in the video game Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis. It prefers watery environments like lakes and rivers. It is possible for it to engage in "Death Duels" with Tyrannosaurus. Tyrannosaurus sometimes comes on top by having its neck snapped (holding its head down with its foot and then twisting it with its jaws) or by being attacked from underneath. This is possibly meant to reflect the Tyrannosaurus and Ankylosaurus battle in BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs
 * Ankylosaurus can be created from paleo-DNA in the game Jurassic Park III: Park Builder. It is nr. 72 of the Herbivore Twos.
 * Ankylosaurus is a playable character in the game Warpath: Jurassic Park that has 3 color: white, black and yellow, and silver.
 * Ankylosaurus is one of the playable dinosaurs in Jurassic Park: Dinosaur Battles, one of the most effective dinosaur against all dinos.
 * Ankylosaurus is featured in the DVD game. Jurassic Park: Explorer.

Links

 * myjurassicpark.com
 * Ankylosaurus on Wikipedia