Dino card No. 1459 of 2,027

Polacanthus

Say it: pol-uh-KAN-thus

Name means: “many thorn”1

Ate: PlantsArmoured dinosEarly Cretaceous

Polacanthus was a medium-sized armoured dinosaur that lived in England during the Early Cretaceous. It had a big shield over its hips and many spikes on its back and tail to protect itself from predators.1

Lived

139 to 100 million years ago4

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Isle of Wight and Sussex, England, and also Spain1 4

Food

Plants2

Length

4 to 5 m1

Weight

227 kg to 2 tonnes1

estimates vary widely

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 1.5 cars

as long as 5 dogs nose to tailas long as 28 bananas end to endas heavy as 67 big dogsas heavy as 400 watermelons

How big was Polacanthus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Polacanthus had a large fused plate of bone over its hips called a 'pelvic shield', which was about 108 centimetres wide and 90 centimetres long.1

Its body was covered with many spikes and small bony studs called ossicles.1

The first fossil of Polacanthus was discovered by the Reverend William Fox on the Isle of Wight in 1865.1

Polacanthus lived about 130 to 125 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous.1

Scientists are not sure if Polacanthus belongs to the Nodosauridae family or its own family, the Polacanthidae.1

A second species, Polacanthus rudgwickensis, was named in 1996 but later moved to its own genus Horshamosaurus in 2015.1

AI-made picture of Polacanthus — An AI-made picture of how Polacanthus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Polacanthus

?How big was Polacanthus?

Polacanthus grew to about 4 to 5 metres (13 to 16 feet) long. Estimates of its weight vary significantly, with some scientists suggesting it weighed around 2 tonnes (4,400 pounds), while others estimate it was much lighter.1

?What did Polacanthus eat?

Polacanthus was a herbivore, meaning it ate plants. Its teeth and body were built for eating vegetation.1

?Did Polacanthus have a tail club?

No, Polacanthus did not have a tail club like Ankylosaurus. Instead, its tail had spikes and bony plates for protection.1

?Where was Polacanthus found?

Polacanthus fossils have been found in England, especially on the Isle of Wight. The first fossil was discovered there in 1865 by the Reverend William Fox.1 3

?When did Polacanthus live?

Polacanthus lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, about 130 to 125 million years ago.1

?How fast could Polacanthus run?

Nobody knows for sure how fast Polacanthus could run, but it walked on all fours and had relatively long hindlimbs for an ankylosaur, which might have allowed it to move fairly quickly.1

Ask Rex about Polacanthus

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Myth buster

Myth: Polacanthus could swing its tail like a club.

Truth: Polacanthus did not have a tail club; its tail was covered in spikes but lacked the heavy bony club seen in some other ankylosaurs.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Polacanthus
Named by: Fox 18664
Group: Armoured dinos
Family / clade: Nodosauridae4
Classification: Ornithischia > Ankylosauria > Nodosauridae > Thyreophora4
Age of the rocks: 139 to 100 million years (Berriasian / Albian)4
Rock formations: Wessex, Vectis, Pinilla de los Moros4
Countries: United Kingdom, Spain4
Fossil records: 16 in the Paleobiology Database4
Also known as: Euacanthus, Vectensia (older names now counted as the same animal)4
Discovery: Polacanthus was discovered by Reverend William Fox on the Isle of Wight in 1865. The name was first used by Richard Owen in a lecture later that year, and the full description was published by Fox in 1866.1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Polacanthus was a nodosaurid or belonged to a separate family called Polacanthidae.1

Where the facts come from

Polacanthus (en.wikipedia.org)
Polacanthus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Spotlight on Polacanthus - Horniman Museum and Gardens (horniman.ac.uk)
Polacanthus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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