The Most Accurate Ankylosaur Ever Reconstructed?

Have palaeontologists been able to make the most accurate reconstruction of an Ankylosaur ever? Thanks to the stunning fossil of the nodosaur Borealopelta markmitchelli found in Alberta, Canada, some incredible insights into the biology and lifestyle of these dinosaurs have been gained.

Music by Geographer

Subscribe to explore the wonderful life around you!

Social Media:

Sources:

[James-]

You should do a video on the most inaccurate reconstructions known to date

[alioramus]

The fact that borealopelta was countershaded shows how much pressure it was under from predators despite all it's armor.

[SeveralRasInAJacket]

I saw this dinosaur in person, and it was incredible. It looked like it was a sleeping animal, covered in dust. And the wires that showed the rest of the body was a beautiful addition.

[gauravvj]

I always think of how many Fossil we have destroyed through mining where we might have over looked something incredible and destroyed it, feels really lucky to see something this incredibly preserved

[dont-hurt-me]

Please consider continuing this "Most Accurate...Ever Reconstructed" Series!!!

If you'd like suggestions, here are a few:
-Pterosaurs
-Marine Reptiles such as Ichthyosaurs, Plesiosaurs & Mosasaurs
-Small Invertebrates that got trapped/fossilized in Amber
-Feathered Theropods such as Archaeopteryx, Incayaku the Penguin or the ones from the various formations in the Liaoning Province of China (i.e. Anchiornis, Sinosauropteryx, Microraptor, Beipiaosaurus, etc.)
-Mammals of the Ice Age that were preserved as frozen carcasses and/or featured in cave art

[rabidspatula]

Seeing boreapelta in person at the Royal Terrel is something else. Its an incredible specimin in a truly world class institution. Well worth visiting!

[AlmightyRawks]

I have lived most of my life assuming we would never truly know what dinosaurs and ancient creatures looked like. Just artist interpretations. Then we began to calculate muscle and build based on walking patterns. Then we found specimens like this, ridiculously well preserved. And now we are finding out what colors they had. And even the behavior that goes along with it. It's mind boggling how much research gets done to bring us this information. Thank you for sharing it!

Bonus: and may all this information about accurate reconstruction inspire even more artistic expression! Without the paleo artists we wouldn't even know where to begin. <3

[Alfonso]

This fossil is breathtaking. A window to a different time of the world.

[alisav]

That's a great idea for a series! I knew about borealopelta but not about psittacosaurus. My next suggestion would be the foot of that duck-billed dinosaur.

[evelynlamoy]

Also worth noting, countershading may have given them better survival odds during youth, before reaching the size needed to defend themselves properly. So it may not actually be something thats important to them as adults, just a holdover from when they were young, and countershading would have greatly aided survival.

[jeremythomas]

Thanks for crediting my photos - and thanks for introducing the whole family to the amazing Royal Tyrrell Museum.

[grene]

My wife and I recently completed a bucket list item (for me!) of driving the Alaska Canada Highway round trip. One of the most important stops for me was the Royal Tyrell Museum. It dud not disappoint! There were two fossils I particularly wanted to see for myself. This one and Tiktaalik, which I had read about in Neil Shubin's excellent book, "Your Inner Fish". Just amazing to see these examples of fossil preservation and examination!

[ifoundatoucan]

Ankylosaur was my absolute favorite as a kid and is still my favorite. This makes both past me and present me very happy :)

[jellybingey]

I remember seeing about this as a kid in some paleo news article and thinking that we were going to finally bring dinosaurs back from the dead

[olvrlcs]

i recently got to visit this amazing fossil at the Royal Tyrrell, what an amazing experience. i’m lucky to live in such a fossil rich part of the world. great vid! :)

[aceundead]

Any number of the small feathered dinosaurs out of China would be fun to see you cover if you do continue this series.

[dilligaf]

I went to Alberta recently and visited the Royal Tyrell museum in Drumheller. This is an amazing specimen to say the least! It literally gave me goosebumps when i walked up to it! I highly recommend taking a trip there! They have so many amazing specimens, including an awesome T-rex named "Black Beauty" in its death pose!

[kevinstryker]

Ankylosaurs are my absolute favorite dinosaur! I would love to see an overview of all of the described members of this family. Thank you for all of your great content.

[greensteve]

Six years (70, 000 hours) to prepare one specimen! Now that's dedication to your job.

[FlyingLampshade]

I saw it in person and was almost moved to tears it is so beautiful. I can't describe how moving an experience it is if you are truly passionate about these kinds of things.

Make a pilgrimage to the Drumheller Royal Tyrell museum if you can. You will not be disappointed.