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"The Ankylosaurus. This is a herbivorous quadruped. Late Cretaceous. This is one of the largest armored dinosaurs. Known by paleontologists as a living tank."
Gunnar Eversoll introducing an Ankylosaurus to auctioneers(src)

Ankylosaurus is an extinct genus of ankylosaur dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period. It was built like a living tank, with extremely thick, bony plates of armor on its body, even including armored eyelids. Its tail also had a second function; it could act as a deadly club. The club was used to swing around and smash into an attacking dinosaur. Its club was so daunting that not even a Tyrannosaurus rex would want to mess with this alarming species.[1]

As a defensive creature, Ankylosaurus was one of nature's most perfect designs. It was almost impervious to being bitten from above and its long, strong tail muscles would have been able to swing its club with great force, however, the tail wasn't too flexible and could only swing 45 degrees in each direction.[1]

There is very little fossil material from this dinosaur - it was apparently the last and largest of the family of armored dinosaurs. It walked fairly upright on all four legs, carrying its tail off the ground and it is theorized that it would drop to the ground when attacked to use its armor as a shield to cover its legs and underbelly.[1]


Wikipedia
Wikipedia has a more detailed and comprehensive article on Ankylosaurus



Characteristics

The clones looked different from the original counterparts. Unlike the original, they had sharp spikes protruding from its body instead of osteoderms, a different tail club shape, and the facial horns are broader than the original. One variant of the Ankylosaurus clones had a dark tan underbelly with bright red patches on the eyes. It also had faded stripes of purple on its body and its armor was black.[2] A second variant had grayish skin and dark gray armor with white spikes and were 1.1 meters longer than those originally bred on Sorna. Jurassic World's clones could gallop from a threat fast and only used its armor and club tail as a last resort when a real Ankylosaurus always used its armor and tail club mainly because it couldn't really run at all and was well-protected by its body armor. These new clones were inaccurately drooping tails most of the time.

Behavioral

Ankylosaurus are recognized as social creatures, forming herds both in the present day and during the late Cretaceous period. They have been observed utilizing a defensive circle formation to protect their juveniles, similar to what was seen with Bumpy. It is hypothesized that the heightened defensive behavior of the Ankylosaurus may have been influenced by the predatory instincts of creatures like the Scroipus rex, which posed a threat during the time when Ankylosaurus roamed. The Ankylosaurus is a heavily armored dinosaur with a thick skin, and it displayed behaviors that likely served as effective defenses against predators. It is believed that due to its formidable protective features, the Ankylosaurus had few natural predators. However, when faced with a large predator such as the Indominus rex in Jurassic World, the Ankylosaurus exhibited signs of fear, most likely because it had never encountered such a formidable predator before. In response to the threat, the Ankylosaur would remain motionless and still until the Indominus Rex made its charge.

History

Jurassic World: Dominion: The Prologue

In the Past

During a flashback in the Cretaceous, a herd of Ankylosaurus were drinking in a swallow river.[3]

Creation

Ankylosaurus originally had 91% of its genome mapped before Hurricane Clarissa struck the island.[4] Ankylosaurus was then successfully recreated by InGen in the Embryonics Administration lab on Isla Sorna in secret after the acquisition of InGen by Masrani Global Corporation and after the passing of the Gene Guard Act, alongside Corythosaurus, Spinosaurus, and Ceratosaurus.[2][5] The Ankylosaurs were parented and fed in captivity until InGen abandoned the lab and released them into the wild.

Being bred illegally and far after the Jurassic Park Incident, it was not planned to be an attraction in Jurassic Park.[6]

Living in the wild

Ankylosaurus 2001 01

Ankylosaur grazing on Isla Sorna in Jurassic Park III

After being cloned and experimented on for a period of 9 months in the late '90s, the unnamed InGen personnel set the dinosaurs free alongside the other illegally bred dinosaurs. Ankylosaurs roamed freely across the island for years to come, until they were illegally shipped from Isla Sorna to become eventual attractions in Jurassic World.[7]

Being created illegally and against the knowledge of InGen or Masrani higher-ups, it is unknown if the Ankylosaurus and the other new dinosaurs were affected by or were even bred to include the lysine deficiency that affected the original dinosaurs. It is unknown how many Ankylosaurs lived on the island, but they were known to have resided in the jungles of the northeast.[2]

Jurassic Park III

Rescue of Eric Kirby

While Billy Brennan and Paul and Amanda Kirby were looking for Dr. Alan Grant and Eric Kirby, a small group of Ankylosaurs passed by the forest they were in. Another group of Ankylosaurus was briefly encountered near a river where Dr. Alan Grant and the Kirby family rode a boat through.[2]

Jurassic World

"You're welcome. Up close and personal with four dinosauruses!"
Zach Mitchell to Gray Mitchell talking about the Ankylosaurus in the Gyrosphere ride.(src)
AnkylosaurusGyro

InGen eventually used Ankylosaurus for Masrani Global Corporation's new dinosaur zoo Jurassic World on Isla Nublar. The Ankylosaurs could be viewed in the Gyrosphere attraction, as shown in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.

According to the DPG, a specimen of Ankylosaurus was 18 years old in 2018, so this variant may have been cloned previously, since 2001 is a date before any settlement InGen has made on Isla Nublar at the hands of Masrani Global.

Isla Nublar Incident (2015)

While in the Gyrosphere exhibit, Zach and Gray saw an opening in the perimeter fence and went in where they saw several Ankylosaurs. While in there, the Indominus rex attacked. The Ankylosaurs ran to avoid the fight, hitting the Gyrosphere on their way, but the Indominus rex was able to get one, although it put up a fight and even smacked the Indominus rex in the face, the Indominus rex slashed one of its legs and flipped the Ankylosaurus over, proceeding to kill it,[8] until its body was found by the campers in Camp Cretaceous.

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous

Ben tamed an Ankylosaurus named Bumpy.

Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Hidden Adventure

Bumpy appears in the new Camp Cretaceous interactive episode, Hidden Adventure.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Anky 4

Ankylosaurus in auction in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

It is revealed that some Ankylosaurus have also survived the rampage of the Indominus rex, but are in danger once again when a volcano erupts and threatens all the dinosaurs on the island.

Some of the Ankylosaurus were captured and taken to Lockwood Manor to be sold off in auction, with one being successfully sold by Gunnar Eversol to a gentleman from Indonesia. The remaining Ankylosaurus are later freed along with the other dinosaurs by Claire and Maisie.

Ankylosaurus was seen in both basement containment facilities, with an adult individual in cage 01 and another in cage 15 of the second facility. They were eventually released into the US by Maisie Lockwood and Claire Dearing.

According to DPG, Ankylosaurus were subject to cruelty in the past.[9]

Jurassic World: Dominion

Akylo Dominion Trailer 2

By 2022, the Department of Prehistoric Wildlife had reports of Ankylosaurus in Enid, Oklahoma, and California in the USA and Khanger Ghati National Park in India.[10] During the events of the film, two Ankylosaurus were first spotted by a News reporter at the Big Rock National Park. Several Ankylosaurus were captured and taken to Biosyn Sanctuary. After Lewis Dodgson burned many Giant Locusts that caused a forest fire, they were part of the many dinosaurs were escaping fire at Biosyn Sanctuary. It is possible that they now reside in the wild and likely rest at the now international preserve. One hiker spotted two Ankylosaurus grazing at the very end of the film.

Gallery

Videos

Images

Promotional Images

Jurassic Park III

Jurassic World (film)

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous

Jurassic World: Dominion

Vocalizations

Behind the scenes

Riversm

The incomplete scene of three Ankylosaurs crossing the river. (Image credit: Jurassic Park Legacy.)

In the script for The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Robert Burke claims to have seen the remains of an Ankylosaur herd while he was in the helicopter that transported him to Isla Sorna and Burke further claims that they have gone extinct once again.[11]

Two scenes of Ankylosaurus were removed from Jurassic Park III. This is included a battle between an individual and a pack of Velociraptor and a more peaceful scene of a herd of three crossing the river that Dr. Alan Grant and the Kirby family were on. However, the scene where an Ankylosaurus fights a Velociraptor pack was later included in the LEGO Jurassic World level "Eric Kirby".

In the storyboard for Jurassic World, the Indominus rex proceeds to eat the Ankylosaurus after she kills it, suggesting that the fight between the two was not going to be in defense nor out of the Indominus' desire to kill it for sport.[12] In Seth Engstrom's concept art of the scene, it appears that there two Ankylosaurs that were to fight the Indominus as opposed to fleeing like in the film, the two Ankylosaurus are shown in a defensive stance when seeing the I. rex approach them.[13]

Oddly enough, the silhouette representing Ankylosaurus seen on the Jurassic World website and on the Holoscape isn't based on Ankylosaurus, but on a reconstruction of the basal ankylosaurian Kunbarrasaurus ieversi (formerly referred to the genus Minmi as Minmi sp.).

According to sound designer Al Nelson in Jurassic World, the vocals for the Ankylosaurs were recorded from sea lions.

The third variant of the Ankylosaurus looks similar to the Vivid skin in Jurassic World Evolution, the fourth variant also looks like the 2001 D skin in Jurassic World Evolution.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jurassic Park Institute, Dinopedia, Ankylosaurus.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Jurassic Park III
  3. Jurassic World: Dominion
  4. As seen in a InGen report of the inactive dinosaurs/DNA samples, leaked by DPG in 2018.
  5. Dinosaur Protection Group Article on the Gene Guard Act. Contains leaked InGen files.
  6. Ankylosaurus does not appear in any version of the Jurassic Park brochure, nor in the InGen Field Journal, InGen Field Guide and Tour the Island website.
  7. Dinosaur Protection Group Article about InGen's history.
  8. Jurassic World
  9. DPG poster with a list of dinosaurs that were subject to cruelty.
  10. Dinotracker.com
  11. The Lost World film script: "Scene 58: Hunter's Tent"
  12. davelowerystoryboards - Jurassic World (July 31, 2015) Retrieved from http://dlstoryboards.blogspot.com/2015/07/jurassic-world_31.html
  13. http://sethengstrom.blogspot.com/

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