Tarchia
Tarchia was a tank-like dinosaur covered in bony armour and armed with a heavy club at the end of its tail. It lived in the deserts of Mongolia near the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. Despite its tough appearance, it was a gentle plant-eater.1
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Fun facts
Tarchia's name means 'brainy one' because its skull had a relatively large brain case compared to other ankylosaurs.1
It is the youngest known Asian ankylosaurid dinosaur, living right at the end of the Cretaceous Period.1
The tail club of Tarchia was made of fused vertebrae and could be swung as a weapon against predators.1
Fossils of Tarchia have been found in ancient desert environments with dunes and seasonal streams.1
Scientists think Tarchia may have relied on hindgut fermentation to digest tough plants, similar to modern cows.1
Three species of Tarchia are known: T. kielanae, T. teresae, and T. tumanovae.1
Most asked questions about Tarchia
?How big was Tarchia?
About 5.5 to 6 metres long and weighed up to 2.5 to 3 metric tons. Some specimens may have been up to 6.7 metres long.12
?What did Tarchia eat?
It was a herbivore that ate low-growing plants. It had a broad muzzle and was a selective feeder, probably eating ground-level plants.12
?Did Tarchia have any predators?
Yes. Tarbosaurus, a large meat-eating dinosaur related to Tyrannosaurus, hunted Tarchia. Tooth marks from Tarbosaurus have been found on a Tarchia skull.21
?How did Tarchia defend itself?
It had a heavy bony club at the end of its tail that it could swing at attackers. Its body was also covered in bony armour called osteoderms.21
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Myth buster
Myth: Tarchia was a slow, stupid dinosaur.
Truth: Tarchia had a relatively large brain for an ankylosaur, and its tail club shows it could defend itself actively.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Tarchia
- Named by
- Maryanska 19773
- Group
- Armoured dinos
- Family / clade
- Ankylosauridae3
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Ankylosauria > Ankylosauridae > Thyreophora3
- Age of the rocks
- 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)3
- Rock formations
- Nemegt, Baruungoyot3
- Countries
- Mongolia3
- Fossil records
- 4 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Tarchia was named in 1977 by Polish paleontologist Teresa Maryańska based on a skull found by a Polish-Mongolian expedition in 1970 near Khulsan, Mongolia.1
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate whether some fossils belong to Tarchia or to its close relative Saichania.1
Where the facts come from
- Tarchia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Tarchia | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- Tarchia in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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