2.9" Ankylosaur (Polacanthus) Caudal Vertebra - Isle of Wight, England

Ankylosaur (Polacanthus) Caudal Vertebra - Isle of Wight, England #171250

This is a 2.9" wide Ankylosaur (Polacanthus foxii) caudal vertebra from the Isle of Wight in England. Aside from remnants of the vertebral foramen, everything superior to the centrum has weathered away, along with weathering of the cortical bone along the edges of the vertebra. There is no indication of any repair or restoration. Any British dinosaur material is pretty hard to find on the market and this is a beautiful piece.

It comes with an acrylic display stand.

An artists reconstruction of an Ankylosaur. Image Public Domain by Mariana Ruiz

Ankylosaurs were herbivorous dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous (65-68 million years ago). As the evolution of Ankylosaurus progressed, they developed bony armor that covered their bodies in the form of plates, scutes and spikes, with some even developing armor on their eyelids. While their armor and bone-shattering tail club are thought to have been used for defensive purposes against predators such as Tyrannosaurus, it's possible that some of the armor on their head may have been used for display. Adult Ankylosaurs are believed to have reached up to 25 feet in length and weigh 3.3 tons!