Gargoyleosaurus
Gargoyleosaurus was an armoured dinosaur that looked like a walking tank. It had bony plates and spikes all over its body to protect it from hungry predators. This dinosaur lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 154 to 142 million years ago.1
When did it live?
How big was it?
How long was it?
How heavy was it?
How big was Gargoyleosaurus compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Fun facts
Gargoyleosaurus is one of the earliest known armoured dinosaurs, living during the Late Jurassic period.2
Its skull was covered in bony armour that was fused to the bone, making its head very tough.2
Scientists found a nearly complete skull and parts of the skeleton with the bones still joined together as they were in life.1
Gargoyleosaurus had features of both ankylosaurid and nodosaurid dinosaurs, which suggests all armoured dinosaurs came from a single ancestor.2
It was about 4 metres (13 feet) long, roughly the size of a small car.1
The name Gargoyleosaurus means 'gargoyle lizard', because its bumpy, spiky head reminded scientists of the stone gargoyles on old buildings.1
Most asked questions about Gargoyleosaurus
?How big was Gargoyleosaurus?
It was a relatively small ankylosaur, reaching about 3 to 3.5 metres (9.8 to 11.5 feet) in length and weighing between 300 and 754 kilograms (661 to 1662 pounds).3
?What did Gargoyleosaurus eat?
It was an herbivore, meaning it ate plants.1
?When did Gargoyleosaurus live?
It lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 154 to 142 million years ago.1
?Where was Gargoyleosaurus found?
Its fossils were discovered in Wyoming, USA, in the Morrison Formation.3
?Why is it called Gargoyleosaurus?
Its name means 'gargoyle lizard' because its bumpy, spiky head reminded scientists of the stone gargoyles on old buildings.1
?Was Gargoyleosaurus an armoured dinosaur?
Yes, it was an armoured dinosaur with bony plates and spikes all over its body for protection.1
Ask Rex about Gargoyleosaurus
Rex only answers questions about this page. 10 questions a month.
Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Gargoyleosaurus
- Named by
- Carpenter et al. 19984
- Group
- Armoured dinos
- Family / clade
- Nodosauridae4
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Ankylosauria > Nodosauridae > Thyreophora4
- Age of the rocks
- 152 to 145 million years (Kimmeridgian / Tithonian)4
- Rock formations
- Morrison4
- Countries
- USA4
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Gargoyleosaurus was named by Kenneth Carpenter, Clifford Miles, and Karen Cloward in 1998. The fossils were found in the Morrison Formation of Wyoming, USA.421
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating whether Gargoyleosaurus belongs to the ankylosaurid family or the nodosaurid family, because it has traits of both groups.2
Where the facts come from
- Gargoyleosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- Skull of a Jurassic ankylosaur (Dinosauria) | Nature (preview-www.nature.com)
- Gargoyleosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Gargoyleosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex
Ankylosaurus
Sauropelta
Pinacosaurus
Scutellosaurus
Struthiosaurus
Euoplocephalus
Brachiosaurus
Diplodocus
Allosaurus
Brontosaurus
Compsognathus
Camarasaurus