Gastonia (dinosaur)
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Extinct (fossil)
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G. burgei |
Gastonia was a Polacanthine ankylosaur from Early Cretaceous North America, 125 million years ago. Closely related to Polacanthus it has a sacral shield and large shoulder spikes. It is also the first Polacanthine dinosaur to have been mounted for display, at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, together with the related Gargoyleosaurus.
This dinosaur was found in the same quarry as Utahraptor.
[edit] Discovery and species
Named by James Kirkland in 1998 from material recovered in Grand County Utah, more complete material exists for Gastonia than for any other Polacanthine ankylosaur. Unfortunately, a wealth of disarticulated material from a bonebed presents problems as it can be hard to tell how many spikes a partucular Gastonia actually had.
Gastonia Species
- G. burgei (type)
[edit] Popular Culture
Gastonia is featured in a chapter of Raptor Red, Robert T. Bakker's fictional account of the events in the life of a female Utahraptor. Defense behaviors are described as various predators attempt to make lunch out of Gastonia.
[edit] References
- Gaston RW, Scellenbach J, Kirkland JI (2001). "Mounted skeleton of the Polacanthine Ankylosaur Gastonia burgei", in Carpenter, Kenneth(ed): The Armored Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press, 386–398. ISBN 0-253-33964-2.
- Blows WT (2001). "Dermal Armor of Polacanthine Dinosaurs", in Carpenter, Kenneth(ed): The Armored Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press, 363–385. ISBN 0-253-33964-2.
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