Borealopelta

Filed under Cretaceous dinosaurs · Types of Dinosaurs editorial team

Order: Ornithischia · Suborder: Thyreophora · Infraorder: Ankylosauria · Family: Nodosauridae

Borealopelta, whose name means "Northern shield," was a herbivorous armoured dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now Canada. This nodosaurid reached lengths of approximately 18 feet (5.5 meters) and was built to withstand the threats of its time with a protective covering of bony plates and thick skin.

What makes Borealopelta exceptional is the extraordinary quality of its fossil remains. The specimen preserves not only the animal's skeletal structure but also its armour in life position, along with impressions of skin and the outlines of its protective bony plates. This level of preservation is exceptionally rare in the dinosaur fossil record. Chemical analysis of the preserved remains even provided insights into the animal's coloration, revealing a reddish-brown hue with counter-shading—a pattern that likely served a camouflage function against potential predators.

The Borealopelta fossil stands as one of the best-preserved dinosaur specimens ever discovered, offering paleontologists an unparalleled window into the appearance, anatomy, and ecology of armoured herbivorous dinosaurs from the Cretaceous era.

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Reference background: Natural History Museum, London — Dinosaurs; Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Dinosaurs; American Museum of Natural History — Dinosaurs & Fossils. Figures are typical published ranges; taxonomy follows the source era and modern consensus is noted where it differs. See our sources & fact-check policy.

Related dinosaurs

Other dinosaurs from the Nodosauridae family.