Acanthopholis

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Acanthopholis

Artist's rendering of Acanthopholis.

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Ornithischia
Suborder:	Thyreophora
Infraorder:	Ankylosauria
Family:	Nodosauridae
Genus:	Acanthopholis Huxley, 1867

Species

A. horridus Huxley, 1867 (type)

Acanthopholis (pronounced /ˌækənˈθoʊfəlɨs/) (meaning "spiny scales") is a genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur in the family Nodosauridae that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period (Albian to Cenomanian stages) around 100 million years ago. The dinosaur's name refers to the its armour (Greek akantha meaning 'spine' or 'thorn' and pholis meaning 'scale'). Acanthopholis's armour consisted of oval plates set almost horizontally into the skin, with spikes protruding from the neck and shoulder area, along the spine. Acanthopholis was quadrupedal and herbivorous. Its size has been estimated to be in the range of 3 to 5.5 meters (10 to 18 ft) long and approximately 380 kilograms (840 lb) in weight.

A find of a braincase and some postcranial elements was discovered in England in 1867, and was named Acanthopholis horridus by Thomas Huxley. Acanthopholis is an invalid name in some sources, which state that not enough information has been collected to tell that the find is anything more than a nodosaur.

[edit] References

Carpenter, Kenneth (2001). "Phylogenetic Analysis of Ankylosauria", in Carpenter, Kenneth(ed): The Armored Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press, 455–480. ISBN 0-253-33964-2.