“There are 2 primary groups of ankylosaurs,” stated Dr. Victoria Arbour, an evolutionary biologist and vertebrate paleontologist at Royal BC Museum and the University of Victoria, and her coworkers.

” Nodosaurid ankylosaurs have a versatile tail and 4 toes, while ankylosaurid ankylosaurs have a sledgehammer-like tail club, and just 3 toes on their feet.”

“Unlike the popular ankylosaur ichnospecies Tetrapodosaurus borealis discovered throughout North America, which have 4 toes, these brand-new tracks– called Ruopodosaurus clava — have just 3, making them the very first recognized examples of ankylosaurid ankylosaur footprints throughout the world.”

Ruopodosaurus clava implies the ‘tumbled-down lizard with a club/mace,’ referencing both the mountainous area in which these tracks were found and the distinct tail clubs of these dinosaurs.”

While they do not understand precisely what the dinosaur that made Ruopodosaurus clava footprints appeared like, the paleontologists understand that it would have had to do with 5-6 m long, spiky and armored, and with a stiff tail or a complete tail club.

“Ankylosaurs are my preferred group of dinosaurs to deal with, so having the ability to recognize brand-new examples of these dinosaurs in British Columbia is truly interesting for me,” Dr. Arbour stated.

The newly-discovered Ruopodosaurus clava footprints go back to the mid-Cretaceous duration, about 100 to 94 million years back.

No bones from ankylosaurids have actually been discovered in North America from about 100 to 84 million years back, resulting in some speculation that ankylosaurids had actually vanished from North America throughout this time.

These footprints reveal that tail-clubbed ankylosaurs lived and well in North America throughout this space in the skeletal fossil record.

The discovery likewise reveals that the 2 primary kinds of ankylosaurs– nodosaurids and ankylosaurids, including this brand-new three-toed types– existed together in the very same area throughout this time.

“Ever because 2 young kids found an ankylosaur trackway near Tumbler Ridge in the year 2000, ankylosaurs and Tumbler Ridge have actually been associated,” stated Dr. Charles Helm, clinical consultant at the Tumbler Ridge Museum.

“It is actually interesting to now understand through this research study that there are 2 kinds of ankylosaurs that called this area home, which Ruopodosaurus clava has actually just been determined in this part of Canada.”

“This research study likewise highlights how crucial the Peace Region of northeastern British Columbia is for comprehending the advancement of dinosaurs in North America– there’s still lots more to be found,” Dr. Arbour included.

“This discover offers us a brand-new piece of the puzzle about the ancient animals that as soon as wandered what is now Canada.”

The discovery is reported in a paper in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

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Victoria M. Arbour et alA brand-new thyreophoran ichnotaxon from British Columbia, Canada verifies the existence of ankylosaurid dinosaurs in the mid Cretaceous of North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontologyreleased online April 14, 2025; doi: 10.1080/ 02724634.2025.2451319