EUOPLOCEPHALUS
(YOO-oh-plo-SEFF-al-us)

Euoplocephalus lived about 75 million years ago. It was one of the largest of all the armoured dinosaurs. It was a plant-eater with a toothless beak and very weak teeth. Euoplocephalus means "Well-armoured Head," which obviously came from the tremendous plating that covered its head and body.

Euoplocephalus was about 20 feet long and probably weighed about 2 tons or as much as a rhinoceros. Its entire body was protected by a layer of armour that contained bony studs and sharp spikes. At the end of its tail there were two round bones fused together that Euoplocephalus would use as a weapon against enemies. When attacked it would swing its huge tail at its attacker trying to inflict a crashing blow.

Euoplocephalus’ body was made so much for protection that bony "shutters" would cover its eyes when it closed them.

(c)1998 Peponi Internetional