Borealopelta

Say it like this: “BOH-ree-AH-low-PEL-tuh”

Borealopelta markmitchelli

Borealopelta ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Canada.

Quiz me on Borealopelta

When: Early Cretaceous (Albian) · roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago
Named in: 2017 · Brown, C. M.; Henderson, D. M.; Vinther, J.; Fletcher, I.; Sistiaga, A.; Herrera, J.; Summons, R. E.
Hip height: 1.3 m · 4 ft
Length: 5.5 m · 18 ft
Weight: 1.3 tonnes
Found in: Canada · Clearwater
Food and walking: Herbivore · Four legs
Kind: armored dinosaur · Ankylosaur
Family branch: Nodosauridae

The story in short

Borealopelta was formally named in 2017 by C. M. Brown and colleagues. The name means “northern/north wind.”

Fossils referred to Borealopelta date to the Early Cretaceous (Albian), roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago. Finds come from Canada, including the Clearwater Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.

Published estimates put Borealopelta at a length near 5.5 m, hips about 1.3 m high, and a body mass around 1.3 tonnes.

On the family tree it sits in Nodosauridae, among the armored dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Acantholipan

Acantholipan gonzalezi

Late Cretaceous (Santonian) · roughly 85.7 to 83.6 million years ago

Animantarx

Animantarx ramaljonesi

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) · roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago

Anoplosaurus

Anoplosaurus curtonotus

Early Cretaceous (Albian) · roughly 113.2 to 100.5 million years ago