The Only Tail Where Evolution Went Evil

Описание: Prehistoric dinosaur weapons were weird. Extinct creatures that evolved weapons were mostly predators, like Allosaurus or Torvosaurus. The Ankylosaur family and ankylosaurus evolved unique weapons of their own, Tail club . Something that made even the boldest carnivores think twice. On paper, Ankylosaurus didn't have much going for it, but still, it emerged as one of the most successful and dangerous herbivores ever known.

At the end of its heavily armored body was a tail club formed from huge osteoderms fused into an oval-shaped knob, in other words a huge and incredibly dense bit of bone at the end of its tail.

Paleontologist Victoria Arbour, who has extensively studied ankylosaur anatomy, explains that without a reinforced structure, a powerful tail swing could tear muscles or dislocate bones. But Ankylosaurus didn’t have that problem. Its tail was a perfectly engineered weapon, capable of shattering bone or crippling even the largest predators with a single, well-placed strike.

some of its relatives evolved even weirder and potentially deadlier variations. Anodontosaurus, Dyoplosaurus, Tarchiaare just a few to mention.


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