Gastonia Dinosaur is an extinct genus of armored dinosaur that lived in what is now North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, somewhere around 150 to 65 million years ago. Despite its complete lack of fossil remains, Gastonia is one of the most well-known of the North American ankylosaurs and has been the subject of much research and discussion. Although Gastonia is not a household name, fossils of its relatives have been found in many places around the world. Gastonia was a large, heavily-armored ankylosaur that was approximately 8m (25 feet) in length and weighed an estimated 1 to 2 tons.
It had a broad, low profile that decreased its risk of being stuck when moving through dense vegetation or travelling between habitats. Its spines were also long and wide, which may have been an adaptation for stability when digging into the ground to make its burrows. The skull of Gastonia is almost completely unknown, since no complete skull fossil has been discovered. However, some fossil fragments have been attributed to Gastonia that hint at its size and shape. These fragments suggest that the skull was deep and unusually short compared to other ankylosaurs.
Gastonia Facts :
| Name: | Gastonia Dinosaurs |
| Size: | 8 meters |
| Main Facts: | The locomotion of Gastonia was likely typical of ankylosaurs, with a slow, waddling gait, short strides, and a steady speed. |
Gastonia's dentition was also atypical. The dentition was double-rooted, meaning that the lower jaw was divided into two sections with each root carried by a separate jaw bone. This feature is only seen in other ankylosaur genera. Furthermore, the teeth were broad and flat, giving them a scissor-like shape. It is believed that, similar to other ankylosaur genera, Gastonia mostly ate plants and vegetation.
Gastonia may have been able to move quickly to escape from predators. However, due to its heavily armoured body it is likely that Gastonia was relatively inactive and relied heavily on its defensive techniques when threatened. Since the discovery of its fossils in 1970, Gastonia has become a famous member of the ankylosaur family. The fossil record of Gastonia is incomplete, but what has been discovered points to an unusual and interesting creature that helps to give us a better understanding of this distant period in Earth's history.
