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armored dinosaur
Aletopelta
Say it like this: “a-LEE-to-PEL-tuh”
Aletopelta coombsi
Aletopelta ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in the United States.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
- Named in
- 2001 · Ford, T. L.; Kirkland, J. I.
- Hip height
- 1.3 m · 4 ft
- Length
- 5–6 m · 16–20 ft
- Weight
- 2 tonnes
- Found in
- the United States · Point Loma
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Four legs
- Kind
- armored dinosaur · Ankylosaur
- Family branch
- Ankylosauridae
The story in short
Aletopelta was formally named in 2001 by T. L. Ford and J. I. Kirkland. The name means “wandering shield.”
It lived in the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from the United States, including the Point Loma Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.
Published estimates put Aletopelta at a length near 5–6 m, hips about 1.3 m high, and a body mass around 2 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Ankylosauridae, among the armored dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Cedarpelta
Cedarpelta bilbeyhallorum
Early Cretaceous (Aptian · Albian) · roughly 121.4 to 100.5 million years ago
Chuanqilong
Chuanqilong chaoyangensis
Early Cretaceous (Aptian) · roughly 121.4 to 113.2 million years ago
Huaxiazhoulong
Huaxiazhoulong shouwen
Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago