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armored dinosaur
Tarchia
Say it like this: “TAHRK-ee-a”
Tarchia kielanae
Tarchia ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Mongolia.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Campanian · Maastrichtian) · roughly 83.6 to 66 million years ago
- Named in
- 1977 · Maryańska, T.
- Hip height
- 1.1 m · 4 ft
- Length
- 5.5 m · 18 ft
- Weight
- 2.5–3 tonnes
- Found in
- Mongolia · Baruungoyot
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Four legs
- Kind
- armored dinosaur · Ankylosaur
- Family branch
- Ankylosaurinae
The story in short
Tarchia was formally named in 1977 by T. Maryańska. The name means “brainy one.”
Fossils referred to Tarchia date to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian · Maastrichtian), roughly 83.6 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from Mongolia, including the Baruungoyot Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.
Published estimates put Tarchia at a length near 5.5 m, hips about 1.1 m high, and a body mass around 2.5–3 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Ankylosaurinae, among the armored dinosaurs.
This entry is the whole genus. The type species is Tarchia kielanae. Other named species include Tarchia teresae and Tarchia tumanovae.
Other species with this name
- Tarchia kielanae
- Tarchia teresae
- Tarchia tumanovae
Close relatives
Akainacephalus
Akainacephalus johnsoni
Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Ankylosaurus
Ankylosaurus magniventris
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
Anodontosaurus
Anodontosaurus lambei
Late Cretaceous (Campanian · Maastrichtian) · roughly 83.6 to 66 million years ago