Re: Insectivorous Ankylosaurians

[Pieter.Depuydt@rug.ac.be]

David Krentz wrote:

>   I've often wondered about the possibility of Ankylosaurs having a diet of 
> tubers and bulbs.  Although their fore limbs were not adapted for digging, 
> they did "suggest a high force delivery to the manus'' (Dinosauria,Coombs and 
> Maryanska).  Even if they didn't dig , they had some adaptations that would 
> compensate.  I am unclear on the presence of soft tubers or bulbs in their 
> environment, present day marshes have plenty. 

At least the Mongolian Late Cretaceous ankylosaurs, as Talalurus, 
Saichania, Pinacosaurus (...) were living in a pretty arid 
environment; some of their fossilized remains suggest the animals 
were killed in a sandstorm or by a moving sand dune, e.g.  an 
aggregation of juvenile Pinacosaurus.

Talking about insectivorous habits, I think Perle proposed the theory 
that Therizinosaurs made a living of termites; the huge claws being 
used to rip open termite hills.

As Jonathan stated, these animals all were large to  huge; 
present day insectivores tend to be small (except of the armadillo's 
and anteaters which are medium sized, but nothing compared with 
large mammalian herbivores), instead of ponderous and barrel-shaped 
like ankylosaurs were.

Pieter Depuydt