Antarctopelta Fossil range: Late Cretaceous
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Ornithischia Suborder: Thyreophora Infraorder: Ankylosauria Genus: Antarctopelta Species: A. oliveroi
Binomial name
Antarctopelta oliveroi Salgado & Gasparini, 2006

Antarctopelta (ant-ARK-to-PEL-ta; "Antarctic shield") was a late Cretaceous genus of medium-sized ankylosaurian dinosaur that reached no more than than 4 meters (13 feet) in length. The specimen was recovered from James Ross Island in 1986, making it the first dinosaur ever discovered on Antarctica, though it is the second dinosaur from the continent to be formally named (see Cryolophosaurus).^[1][2] Geography of the US in the late Cretaceous Late Cretaceous (also called the Upper Cretaceous) refers to the second half of the Cretaceous period, named after the famous white chalk cliffs of southern England, which date from this time. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Digimon, the only known animals. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Subclasses Anapsida Diapsida Synonyms Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class Sauropsida. ... Orders Saurischia    Sauropodomorpha    Theropoda Ornithischia Dinosaurs are giant reptiles that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for most of their 165-million year existence. ... Suborders Thyreophora Cerapoda    Ornithopoda    Marginocephalia Ornithischia is an order of beaked, herbivorous dinosaurs. ... Subclades Ankylosauria Stegosauria Scelidosauridae The Thyreophora (Shield Bearers) were the group of armored plant-eating dinosaurs, living from the early Jurassic until the end of the Cretaceous. ... Families Nodosauridae Ankylosauridae The Ankylosauria, less formally known as the ankylosaurians, were a group of ornithischian (bird-hipped) dinosaurs that lived in the late Cretaceous period. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... For other uses of the word, please see Genus (disambiguation). ... Families Nodosauridae Ankylosauridae The Ankylosauria, less formally known as the ankylosaurians, were a group of ornithischian (bird-hipped) dinosaurs that lived in the late Cretaceous period. ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... This article is about a foot as a unit of length. ... Map of Ross Island Ross Island is a volcanic island in the Ross Sea by Antarctica, on the coast of Victoria Land. ... Binomial name Cryolophosaurus ellioti Hammer & Hickerson, 1994 Cryolophosaurus (// or //, meaning cold crest lizard) was a large bipedal dinosaur, with a bizarre crest on its head that looked like a Spanish comb. ...

The holotype skeleton was collected about 90 meters from the base of the Gamma Member of the Santa Marta Formation (late Campanian, about 78 to 74 million years ago), which was deposited in a shallow marine environment and also preserves marine fossils such as shark teeth, remains of the mosasaur Lakumasaurus antarcticus, pelecypods, gastropods, and ammonites. This specimen was initially located in January 1986 on James Ross Island, on the Antarctic Peninsula and was the first dinosaur ever found in Antarctica. Despite this, its remains were not formally named and described until 2006, making it the second named dinosaur genus from Antarctica (the first was the theropod Cryolophosaurus, in 1993). Harsh Antarctic weather conditions made collecting and identifying its remains difficult and fieldwork proceeded over more than a decade. A holotype is one of several possible types. ... The Campanian is a stage on the geologic time scale occuring from 83. ... Mega-annum, usually abbreviated as Ma, is a unit of time equal to one million years. ... Marine is an umbrella term for things relating to the ocean, as with marine biology, marine geology, and as a term for a navy, etc. ... Three small ammonite fossils, each approximately 1. ... Orders Carcharhiniformes Heterodontiformes Hexanchiformes Lamniformes Orectolobiformes Pristiophoriformes Squaliformes Squatiniformes Symmoriida(extinct) Sharks (superorder Selachimorpha) are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton[1] and a streamlined body. ... Subfamilies Mosasaurinae Plioplatecarpinae Tylosaurinae Mosasaurs (from Latin Mosa, the Meuse river where the fossils were first discovered + Greek sauros, lizard) were serpentine marine reptiles, more closely related to snakes than to monitor lizards (Lee 1997). ... Orders Subclass Protobranchia Solemyoida Nuculoida Subclass Pteriomorphia - oysters, mussels Arcoida Mytiloida Pterioida Subclass Paleoheterodonta Trigoinoida Unionoida - freshwater mussels Subclass Heterodonta - clams, zebra mussels Veneroida Myoida Subclass Anomalosdesmata Pholadomyoida Bivalves are molluscs belonging to the class Bivalvia. ... Subclass Subclass Eogastropoda     Patellogastropoda Subclass Orthogastropoda   Superorder Cocculiniformia   Superorder Hot Vent Taxa     Neomphaolida   Superorder Vetigastropoda   Superorder Neritaemorphi     Neritopsina   Superorder Caenogastropoda     Architaenioglossa     Sorbeoconcha   Superorder Heterobranchia     Heterostropha     Opisthobranchia     Pulmonata The gastropods, or univalves, are the largest and most successful class of mollusks, with 60,000-75,000 species, and second largest class... For other uses, see Ammonite (disambiguation). ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Ross Island Ross Island is a volcanic island in the Ross Sea by Antarctica, on the coast of Victoria Land. ... Antarctic Peninsula map Booth Island and Mount Scott flank the narrow Lemaire Channel on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Families See text Theropods (beast foot) are a group of bipedal, primarily carnivorous dinosaurs, belonging to the saurischian (lizard-hip) family. ... Binomial name Cryolophosaurus ellioti Hammer & Hickerson, 1994 Cryolophosaurus (// or //, meaning cold crest lizard) was a large bipedal dinosaur, with a bizarre crest on its head that looked like a Spanish comb. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Antarctopelta was named by Argentine paleontologists Leonardo Salgado and Zulma Gasparini in 2006. The name is derived from the continent of Antarctica and the Greek word pelta (meaning 'shield'), referring to the location of its discovery and its armored nature. Antarctica itself comes from the Ancient Greek words anti- (meaning 'opposite of') and arktos (meaning 'bear': the meaning 'north' came via "the direction of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor – the Great Bear and Little Bear"). There is one named species (A. oliveroi), which honors Argentine geologist Eduardo Olivero, who discovered the holotype and has worked in Antarctica for decades. A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... Armour in animals is external or superficial protection against attack by predators, formed as part of the body (rather than the behavioural use of protective external objects), usually through the hardening of body tissues, outgrowths or secretions. ... Genera Ailuropoda Helarctos Melursus Ursus Tremarctos Arctodus (extinct) A bear is a small mammal in the family Ursidae of the order Carnivora. ... Ursa Major (IPA: ) is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. ... Ursa Minor (IPA: ) is a constellation in the northern sky, the name of which means Smaller Bear in Latin. ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... the are cool The Geologist by Carl Spitzweg A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system (see planetary geology). ...

Antarctopelta shares several features with both ankylosaurids and nodosaurids, making assignment to a specific family difficult and it has been designated as Ankylosauria incertae sedis (Salgado & Gasparini, 2006; p. 133). Earlier work suggested that the James Ross Island ankylosaur represented a juvenile (Olivero et. al., 1991; Gasparini et al., 1996). However, this may be refuted by the fact that the vertebrae of Antarctopelta show complete fusion of the neural arches and vertebral centra. A juvenile would be expected to have visible sutures between the bones or even complete separation. Also, preliminary histological analysis of several ribs and toe bones shows internal bone structures which a juvenile animal should not have formed yet, indicating that the holotype specimen is of adult age or very close to it (Salgado & Gasparini, 2006). Ankylosauridae were a family of armored dinosaurs that evolved 125 million years ago (along with another family of ankylosaurs, the Nodosauridae) and died 65 million years ago at the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction Event. ... Nodosauridae (Marsh, 1890) is a family of the ankylosaurian dinosaurs. ... Families Nodosauridae Ankylosauridae The Ankylosauria, less formally known as the ankylosaurians, were a group of ornithischian (bird-hipped) dinosaurs that lived in the late Cretaceous period. ... Incertae sedis—of uncertain position (seat)—is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. ... A diagram of a thoracic vertebra. ... A thin section of lung tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin. ...

Known Fossil Material:

• The holotype and only known specimen (MLP 86-X-28-1, Museo de La Plata) was collected over an area of 6 square meters, over several field seasons but is assumed to have belonged to a single individual. This specimen consists of an incomplete left dentary (with one tooth in situ), a number of skull fragments, cervical (neck) vertebrae, fragments of eight ribs, two dorsal (thoracic) vertebrae from the presacral rod, eight fragmentary caudal (tail) vertebrae, fragments of the left scapula, right ilium, and left femur, five metapodials (foot bones), two phalanges (toe bones) and osteoderms representing six distinct types of dermal armor.

The dentary is the tooth bearing bone of the lower jaw. ... The visible teeth of a smile. ... In situ is a Latin phrase meaning in the place. ... It has been suggested that temporal fenestra be merged into this article or section. ... In anatomy, cervical is an adjective that has two meanings: of or pertaining to the neck. ... The human rib cage. ... In anatomy, the dorsum is the upper or back side of an animal, as opposed to the ventrum. ... In zootomy, several terms are used to describe the location of organs and other structures in the body of bilateral animals. ... Left scapula - front view () Left scapula - rear view () In anatomy, the scapula, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). ... The term Illion, Ilium has several meanings, including in legends, in anatomy, and in the arts: Ilion or Ilium is an alternative name for the legendary city of Troy. ... The femur or thigh bone is the longest, most voluminous, and strongest bone of the human body. ... The Kataeb Party, better known in English-speaking countries as the Phalange, is a Lebanese political party that was first established as a Maronite nationalist youth movement in 1936 by Pierre Gemayel. ... Osteoderms are a bony deposit forming a scale, plate, or other structure in the dermal layers of the skin. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Footnotes

References

Dinosaurs Portal

• Hammer, William R. "Antarctic Dinosaurs". Encyclopedia Prospectus. Department of Geology, Augustana College.
• Gasparini, Z., Olivero, E., Scasso, R., & Rinaldi, C. 1996. New data on the ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the Antarctic Peninsula. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 39: 583-594.
• Olivero, E., Gasparini, Z., Rinaldi, C., & Scasso, R. 1991. The first record of dinosaurs in Antarctica (Upper Cretaceous, James Ross Island): paleogeographical implications. In: Thomson, M.R.A., Crame, J.A., & Thomson, J.W. (Eds.). Geological Evolution of Antarctica. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 617-622.
• Salgado, L. & Gasparini, Z. 2006. Reappraisal of an ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of James Ross Island (Antarctica). Geodiversitas 28(1): 119-135.