恐龍卡第 0290 張，共 2 027 張

Borealopelta

名字的意思： “northern shield”1

吃：植物甲龍類白堊紀早期

Borealopelta was a heavily armoured dinosaur that looked like a living tank. It had huge spikes on its shoulders and a body covered in bony plates and scales. Scientists even know what colour it was: reddish-brown on top and lighter underneath, like a deer today.1

生存年代

121 到 113 百萬年前5

白堊紀早期

化石發現地

Suncor Millennium Mine, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada5

長度

5.5 m (18 ft)2

體重

1.3 公噸 (2,900 lb)2

高度

1 m (3.3 ft)3

最高速度

時速約 17 公里（11 英里）

跑步, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多高？

牠有多重？

跟 65 隻狗一樣重

跟 6 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 31 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長跟 260 顆西瓜一樣重跟 68 個幼兒園小朋友一樣重跟 41 個小學生一樣重跟 3 隻北極熊一樣重能在 21 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類要 9.6 秒）

Borealopelta 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Borealopelta 時速約 17 公里 (11 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Borealopelta is one of the best-preserved armoured dinosaurs ever found. Its fossil includes skin, scales, and even the horn sheaths on its spikes.1

This dinosaur had countershading: its back was reddish-brown and its belly was lighter. This helped it hide from predators.1

The largest spikes on its shoulders were probably used for display, not just defence. They were lighter in colour and covered in a thick horn sheath.1

Borealopelta weighed over 1,300 kilograms, as much as a small rhinoceros. Despite its size and armour, it still needed camouflage from big meat-eating dinosaurs.2

It lived about 121 to 113 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period, in what is now Alberta, Canada.5

The fossil was found in an oil sands mine. It was so well preserved that scientists could study the melanin in its skin to figure out its colour.1

Borealopelta had more than 20 small bony plates on its snout and a large hexagonal plate on its forehead.1

Borealopelta 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Borealopelta 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Borealopelta 最常被問的問題

?How big was Borealopelta?

About 5.5 metres long and weighed 1.3 metric tons.4

?What did Borealopelta eat?

It ate plants, especially ferns. Its last meal was mostly ferns, and it also swallowed a little bit of charcoal from a wildfire.4

?Did Borealopelta have a tail club?

No, it had a straight tail without a club, unlike some other armoured dinosaurs.4

?Why did Borealopelta have spikes?

The big shoulder spikes were probably used for display to attract mates or scare rivals, but they could also help defend against predators.4 1

?Was Borealopelta camouflaged?

Yes, it had countershading: a reddish-brown back and a lighter belly, which helped it hide from predators.4 1

?When did Borealopelta live?

It lived about 110 to 112 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period.4

?Where was Borealopelta found?

It was discovered in an oil sands mine near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.4

?How well preserved is Borealopelta?

It is one of the best-preserved armoured dinosaurs ever found, with skin, scales, horn sheaths, and even stomach contents still intact.4 1

?Could Borealopelta swim?

It probably could not swim well. Its body was found in ancient sea sediments, so it likely drowned and sank after being washed out to sea.4

?What colour was Borealopelta?

It was reddish-brown on top and lighter underneath, like a deer today. Scientists found melanin in its skin to figure this out.4 1

迷思破解王

迷思： Many people think all armoured dinosaurs were slow and clumsy.

真相： Borealopelta was heavily armoured but its legs were built for walking and it could probably move quickly when needed. Its camouflage shows it was an active prey animal.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Borealopelta
命名者: Brown et al. 20175
類群: 甲龍類
科 / 演化支: Nodosauridae5
分類: Ornithischia > Ankylosauria > Nodosauridae > Thyreophora5
岩石的年代: 121 到 113 百萬年 (Aptian)5
岩層: Clearwater5
國家: 加拿大5
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆5
發現: Borealopelta was discovered in 2011 at the Suncor Millennium Mine in Alberta, Canada, by miners removing overburden. It was named by Caleb Brown and colleagues in 2017.1 5
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure exactly how many different kinds of nodosaurids existed, and whether Borealopelta's shoulder spikes were mainly for fighting rivals or scaring predators.1