Amado Narvaez on Euoplocephalus

[Thom Holmes <70621.2234@compuserve.com>]

> While working on a hypermedia
> program about popular dinosaurs, I realized that particularly with
> Ankylosaurus, there seems to be considerable misconceptions about
> its appearance.

Ken Carpenter recently helped us do a feature on Euoplocephalus for Dino 
Times. Here is an excerpt of what we published, which might help explain 
Euoplocephalus a little more.

"Dinosaur researchers Kenneth Carpenter and Walter Coombs agree to disagree 
about whether Euoplocephalus is actually the same as Dyoplosaurus. Carpenter 
believes that the two animals are different and that the proof is evident when
yu compare certain features of the fossil remains.

"In describing the differences, Carpenter explains that 'the armor od 
Dyoplosaurus is well known from two specimens. On the neck, the armor consists
of rectangular keeled scutes (bony knobs) and flat oval scutes. The tail club 
is as long as it is wide.' The armor on the neck of Euoplocephalus, on the 
other hand, consists only of oval plates fused to an underlying curved band of
bone. In addition, the tail club is wider than it is long, distinguishing it 
from Dyoplosaurus."

I was also surprised when I learned that ankylosaurus is so poorly known, 
being the most famous of the bunch. Euoplocephalus, on the other hand, is one 
of the best known armored dinosaurs.

--Thom Holmes, Editor, Dino Times
The Dinosaur Society