Nodosaurids in Detail
Known as the "node lizards", the
nodosaurids are the second of the three families of ankylosaurs. They are set apart from the other families
because they have spines on the shoulders and neck that protrude outwards.
Also, they do not have a club on their tail, unlike the ankylosaurids. The
nodosaurids arrived on the scene during the Albian, with Sauropelta being
the first. Sauropelta was a very big nodosaurid measuring about
5.5m in length. It is a well-known ankylosaur from the Albian. The
origin for the nodosaurids is thought to be somewhere in Europe, but there is
still much debate on the issue. Nodosaurids and polacanthids were the only
families to have traveled throughout Europe. It is widely believed that
the ankylosaurids did not. The nodosaurids had spread to Antarctica by the
Campanian. They likely traveled across South America to reach the
continent. The extinction of this family is believed to be during the
Maastrichtian, but before the mass dinosaur extinction at K/T boundary.
The extinction occurred at about the same time in North America and Europe.
Nodosaurids lived mostly in low coastal environments, but did occupy some upland
environments as well. Change in sea level has been suggested as a partial
explanation for their extinction.
Sauropelta