Ankylosaurus is a familiar animal, often puported in popular culture, needless to say inaccurately. It was one of last genera of non-avian dinosaurs to have existed, & would've lived alongside Tyrannosaurus Rex. This is not to say, however, that Ankylosaurus was prey to large animals; it was coated in bony armour unlike a turtle's shell, more akin to a crocodile. Two chunks of bone on the end of tail acted as active defence, similar to Stegosaurus' tail spikes, only this 'club' would have broken bones instead of piercing flesh. Ankylosaurus has often been likened to a living tank, supported by experiments that show Ankylosaur's armour was bullet-proof, & at least one genus' armour was constructed in a very similar fashion to modern-day bullet-proof vests. Ankylosaurus & its close cousin Euplocephalus, would have weighed perhaps 7 metric tonnes, & consequentially their legs were strong & dense. Ankylosaurus was a Thyreopean, like Stegosaurus, & ate low-lying vegetation. It has not been found with gizzard stones, suggesting its jaw was powerful enough to break up plants, & it probably possesed more than one stomach, like a modern day cow.

Stephen Frost