Forget Jurassic World: Utah Home to The Newest Armored Dinosaur
A new species of ankylosaurid, a type of armored dinosaur, was discovered in Salt Lake City, Utah this July. Though the species had relatives across North America, the new species, dubbed "Thorny Head," is the first species in this genus range.
It's full name is Akainacephalus johnsoni, named after the museum volunteer and retired chemist, Randy Johnson, who helped prepare its almost perfectly preserved skull. It gets its thorn-inspired nickname from its oddly-bumped head. This fossil is the most complete ankylosaur found in the southwest United States to date, with a nearly complete tail, skull, spiked plates, and several vertebrae.
The dinosaur is expected to have measured between 13 and 16 feet in length and only about three-and-a-half feet tall. This herbivorous dinosaur relied on i...