Table Of ContentArmored
dinosAurs
contents
Armored
introduction 7 PAchYcePhALosAu6rus 2
tricerAtoPs 10 stYGimoLoch 28
dinosAurs
stYrAcosAurus 16 euroPeLtA 30
ProtocerAtoPs 18 nodosAurus 32
román GArcíA morA tArchiA 20 steGosAurus 34
iLLustrAtions bY
text bY GiusePPe briLLAnteA ndA nnA cessA AnKYLosAurus 22
TODAy Origin of Man
c QUATERNARY tAnKs With Four LeGs
i
o 1,8 Million years ago Ice Age mammals
z
o neogene
n
23 Million years ago
e
c paleogene Extinction of the dinosaurs
Picture thes cene.A h erdo Ft ricerAtoPsesis m oVinGo VerA P LAin,W hens uddenLYP Anic
66 Million years ago
S
U
LATE breAKs out.t he oLder,W iser members tohFe herd hAVe smeLLed dAnGetrh ienA ir.A L ArG e
O
E
C 100 Million years ago t-rexis m oVinG toWArds them toK iLLA dnedV our them. theA dut LtricerAtoPsesQ uicKLY
A
T
E EARLY Diversification of Ceratopsia FormA L ArGe circLe,W itthhe Y ounGA tt he center oF i stot heYA reP rotectedt.h e outer
R
C
145 Million years ago Origin of Ceratopsia PArt oF the circLe is A soLid WALL oF Pointed horns.
LATE
C 163 Million years ago
c SI hoWW iLL it end? it’s hArdto sAYP. erhAPs theP oWerFubLi teo F the t-rexW iLLW ino r
i S
o A MIDDLE
mAYbe, this time, thset renGtho F theu nionW iLLb ee nouGhA nd the tricertAoPsesW iLL
R
z
U
o J 174 Million years ago First Stegosauruses surViVet. heP robLem ist hAt, unLiKeA nimAsLt hAt noW inhAbi tourP LAnet,W e cAnnot see
s
First modern feather
e EARLY
m dinosAursin A ction.W ec Ano nLYi mAGineh oWt heYL iVedh, oWt heYm oVedh, oWt heY
Giant dinosaurs,
201 Million years ago Brachiosaurus
escAPed From PredAtors, And WhAt theY Ate. And it is not An eAsY tAsK.
LATE
C 237 Million years ago Origin of Thyreophora
I
S LiKeAd etectiVeA tA c rimes ceneP, ALeontoLoGists studY eVYe bronee, VerYF ootPrintA nd
S MIDDLE Origin
A of dinosaurs,
RI Eoraptor eVen droPPinGtsh At hAVeF ossiLiZed( coProLitteost) rY, stArtinGF romA F eW cLuetso,
T 247 Million years ago
buiLdt hei dentiKito FA LLo Ft hed iscoVereds PeciesA ndA nsWert hem AnYQ uestions thtA
EARLY
Origin of mammals
there stiLL Are About their existence.
252 Million years ago
PERMIAN
Reptiles similar
299 Million years ago to mammals
CARBONIFEROUS surPrisinGLY, reALitY is conAsnttLY exceedinG our imAGintiAon,A s eVeYrY eArW dei scoVer
C First giant
I 359 Million years ago forests
O neW sPecies oF dinosAursit. seemst hAtt here is no endt ot heG ALLerY oF biZArre
devonian
Z
O 419 Million years ago
E Origin of amphibians dinosAurst hAtn Aturec reAted.i FY ouW eret od rAWu PA L isto Ft hem osts urPrisinGt, he
silurian
L
PA 443 Million years ago Trilobites WinnerW ouLdbe c ertAinLY theA rmored dinosAursA .rmor, horns, sPiKes, bum Ps
ORDOVICIAN
485 Million years ago And huGe bonY ridGeW sh:At couLdt hese strAnGP ehYsicAL chArActeristics hAVe be en
CAMBRIAN
used For?
541 Million years ago
PRECAMBRIAN First land plants
Ediacaran fauna
Explosion of life
in the Cambrian Period
ARMORED DINOSAURS 7
BUT WHAT DID THEY FEED ON? WHERE WERE THEIR FOSSILS FOUND? WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM
thesec hArActeristicsW ere theA nsWer to theP erPetuALb AttLeF or surViVALA GAinst
DURING THEIR EXISTENCE AS A SPECIES?
PredAtorst. heL ArGer,F AsterA nd moreA GGressitVheAt t heP redAtorsW eret, he more it
YOU WILL FIND MANY ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES.
becAme necessArY to Find neW strAteGies to deFend themseLVes.
THE CHAPTER OF THE ARMORED DINOSAURS IS JUST ONE OF MANY IN THE EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY
OF DINOSAURS. THE “terribLe LiZArds”, THUS NICKNAMED IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY BY BRITISH
this is hoW eVoLution cretAedA nimALs onth eP LAnett hAt eVent he imAGinAtion oFA
WriterW ouLd no htAVe beenA bLteo inVent. some reALLYb iZArre tAiLsA PPeAred: the PALEONTOLOGIST richArd oWen, WERE THE UNDISPUTED MASTERS OF THE PLANET FOR A LONG TIME.
THEN SUDDENLY, THEY ALL DISAPPEARED. WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED IS STILL NOT KNOWN.
AnKYLosAurus,F or exAmPLe, ended uPW ithA L ArGet bhuAmt cP ouLd be usedA sA biG sticK
to hitA nd striKe enemies,W hitLhee steGosAurus deVeLoPed oneW ithL onG sWPihKiecsh
ProbAbLY THE LAST DINOSAURS, ALREADY IN A STATE OF DECLINE, Were sWePt AWAY bY A
couLd inFLict deAdLY stAb Wounds.
cAtAcLYsm. ACCORDING TO SCIENTISTS, ABOUT 65 MILLION YEARS AGO, AN ENORMOUS METEORITE
CRASHED TO THE EARTH, CAUSING AN EXPLOSION EQUIVALENT TO THAT OF A HUNDRED MILLION
then thereW ere thdei nosAursW hoc hArGedA nYoneW ho thrteeAned themW ith their
NUCLEAR BOMBS. IT DESTROYED EVERYTHING WITHIN A RADIUS OF HUNDREDS OF KILOMETERS AND
huGe horns,J ustA s rhinos dot odAY (one oFt he most striKinG exAmPLesW Ast he
TRIGGERED TSUNAMIS, FIRES AND A STRONG DISTORTION OF THE CLIMATE THAT INCLUDED A series
stYrAcosAurusW hich hAdA biG horn on its nosteo, u oPn e meter inL enGth,A ndA GiA nt
crestb ehind its sKuLLW ithA tL eAst sixL onG, enormousP ointed bumPs)A ntdh oseW ho, oF enVironmentAL chAnGest hAtt he dinosAurs couLd noA tdAPtt o.T HEF IRSTT OD IEW OULD
HAVE BEEN THE LARGE HERBIVOROUS DINOSAURS, FOLLOWED BY THEIR FEARSOME PREDATORS, AND
LiKe theA trchiA,W erec oVeredW ithA rmorL iKe tmhee dieVALK niGhtsr. eAL tAnKsW ith
FINALLY WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME, THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN EVEN ONE DINOSAUR LEFT.
Four LeGs!
todAY, bY usinGF ossiLsY, out cAAKneA n extrAordinYAJ rourneYt hrouGh
timeA nd brintGh eseA mAZinG cretAures“ bActKo L iFe”F rotmh eirL onG
distAnt PAst.
ARMORED DINOSAURS 9
tricerAtoPs
tricerAtoPs roamed our planet at the their mouth, in the shAPe oF A beAK similar
Where it LiVed: end of the cretaceous Period in what to that of parrots but much larger, was filled
north America is now known as north America. because with hundreds of thin, sharp teeth, able to
of their size, they moved relatively slowly: grind up even the toughest plants and which
Where the most imPortAnt FossiLs Were Found:
according to some estimates, they reached were arranged in several columns,
united states of America, canada
a top speed of 8 km/h (in comparison, the each composed of 3-5 teeth one above
When it LiVed:
fearsome Velociraptor could reach up to 60 the other: when a tooth had been used up,
67 to 65 million years ago
km/h!). they were herbivores and spent most there was already one ready underneath that
of their day feeding on low plants. replaced it.
siZe:
from 7 to 9 meters in length
and 3 meters tall
WEIGHT:
from 6 to 9 tons
When the first tWo huGe horn FossiLs
were discovered in 1887 in denver, colorado,
they were thought to have belonged to a
giant bison that was now extinct. no one ever
According to scholars, they
imagined that shortly thereafter the remains
moved in great herds, like
of this animal would pop up bit by bit all
other species of herbivorous
over the place. it was a large dinosaur.
dinosaurs, but also in
since then, hundreds of triceratops
smALL FAmiLies, such
fossils have been found, all belonging,
as that discovered in 2012
according to scholars, to two main
by paleontologist Peter Larson,
species, tricerAtoPs horridus
who unearthed the remains of
and tricerAtoPs Prorsus.
three triceratops of different
sizes. there were probably
tWoA duLts WithA cub that
had been surprised and attacked by
a tyrannosaurus rex. the remains of the
largest specimen, in fact, show the signs
of bites from that terrible carnivore.
ARMORED DINOSAURS 11
tricerAtoPs
And WhAt iF tricerAtoPs hAd neVer existed?
this is A Question thAt tWo imPortAnt PALeontoLoGists,
JAcK horner And John scAnneLLA, hAVe AsKed.
AccordinG to them, the tricerAtoPs FossiLs Found uP
untiL noW couLd ActuALLY be the YounG oF Another
sPecies oF dinosAur, torosAurus, Which the
tWo PALeontoLoGists hAVe studied extensiVeLY.
torosAurus WAsA Lsoe QuiPPed Withh ornsA nd
A biG coLLAr LiKe tricerAtoPs.
the most amazing thing about these dinosaurs was definitely their
but iF torosAurus WAs ActuALLY the AduLt Form oF tricerAtoPs,
heAd, with a skull that could measure up to tWo meters, a large
WhY Are torosAurus FossiLs rArer thAn those oF tricerAtoPs?
collar bone and three horns that gave them their name (tricerAtoPs
mAYbet he number oFY ounG dinosAurs WAs GreAtert hAn thAt oFA duLts.
in ancient Greek means “three-horned FAce”). the males used them to
the mortALitY rAte WAs hiGh And mAnY did not surViVe to mAturitY.
defend themselves from predators and to protect their young (when there was
hoWeVer, theA nsWer couLdA Lso beA nother: some scientistsA rGue
some kind of danger, a group of adult triceratops probably formed a circle,
thAt torosAurus WAs simPLY the mALe or FemALe
putting the cubs in the center, so that they formed an impenetrable wall, just
Version oF tricerAtoPs.
as bison and musk oxen do today). the horns were also used in duels
between males for the conquest of females. The fights were often violent,
as demonstrated by the serious wounds inflicted on the contenders evidenced
in the fossils.
ARMORED DINOSAURS 13
stYrAcosAurus
even the large collar bone surely had an area changed the color of the skin that it
important function. It was first of all a covered, signaling the availability of the males to
defensive element the females and discouraging potential love rivals.
Where it LiVed:
north America against enemies; in Fossil findings have allowed paleontologists
addition, regulating the to speculate that these enormous
Where the most imPortAnt FossiLs Were Found:
flow of the blood in this herbiVorous dinosAurs often gathered
Arizona (usA), Alberta (canada)
in herds composed of numerous individuals.
When it LiVed: because “unity is strength”, this was
80 to 75 million years ago a defense strategy against voracious
carnivores like the giant daspletosaurus,
which towered at up to 9
meters tall, and which like
styracosaurus, wandered the
siZe:
up to 5.5 meters in length area of north America during the
and up to 2.5 meters tall same period.
WeiGht:
3 tons
styracosaurus means “lizard with spikes” and there could
not have been a better name: its appearance was really described As “bone
strange! it had a LArGe horn on its nose, beds”, LArGe dePosits oF
up to one meter in length, and a GiAnt crest stYrAcosAurus FossiLs hAVe been
behind its skull with at least six long, Found in ALbertA, cAnAdA.
enormous, spiky bumps. What they were their discoVerY Led to the hYPothesis
used for remains a mystery. initially it thAt these dinosAurs moVed in herds. these
was thought that they were used PArticuLAr stYrAcosAurus, PerhAPs
to defend it against predators, in An AttemPt to cross A bodY oF WAter,
but today, another hypothesis has Were surPrised bY A FLood. sWePt AWAY bY the
been put forward: the bumps could current, theY ALL droWned And Were drAGGed
possibly have been a to the PLAce Where their FossiL
sign of distinction remAins hAVe been Found.
that allowed different
individuals to recognize
one another from a
distance.
ARMORED DINOSAURS 17
ProtocerAtoPs
Pro toceratopses were not very big: they both to attract the attention of females during
were the size of a calf. they were the mating period and to protect themselves
herbivores and Fed on LeAtherY PLAnts from predators. they were, in fact, a coveted
Where it LiVed: that they broke into pieces with their hard prey for carnivores, but they were difficult
mongolia beaks. they probably lived in herds and had a to overpower as they were able to defend
big collar at the base of their head that may themselves vehemently, as shown by some
Where the most imPortAnt FossiLs Were Found:
have been colorful and could have served extraordinary fossils that have been discovered.
Gobi desert (mongolia)
When it LiVed:
110 to 70 million years ago
siZe:
A FossiL Found in the Gobi
almost 2 meters in length
desert in monGoLiA, Which
and 1 meter tall
hAs become VerY FAmous,
WeiGht: shoWs A VeLocirAPtor
180 kilograms
cLutched in A deAth GriP
With A ProtocerAtoPs.
For the scientists who found them, it was like looking the cArniVore, AFter hAVinG
at a photograph that captures a moment GrAbbed its heAd, PLunGed
of life on our planet from a distant A cLAW into the throAt oF the
era. Probably killed by a PoWerFuL ProtocerAtoPs, Which in turn
sAndstorm that blew through the WAs cLutchinGt he riGht LeG oFt he
dunes of the Gobi desert seventy- PredAtor in its PoWerFuL beAK.
five million years ago, fifteen the tWo died As theY struGGLed
young Protoceratopses And Were PreserVed
lay next to each other. For miLLions oF YeArs,
the small dinosaurs, PAssinG on this FinAL
which were less than a year old, were still in the nest. bLoodY scene oF A
Paleontologists have therefore inferred that adults took care Prehistoric drAmA.
of the young, fed them and protected them from predators
for a LonG time AFter hAtchinG.
this is clear evidence for social
behavior by dinosaurs.
ARMORED DINOSAURS 19
