In Depth
Ahshislepelta is a genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. Unfortunately the partial remains of Ahshislepelta which include a shoulder girdle, partial left forelimb, vertebrae and osteoderms (the bony armour) are not enough to identify the genus as either a general ankylosaurid or a more derived ankylosaurine.
Another ankyosaur from the Kirtland Formation is Nodocephalosaurus, while hadrosaurs like Parasaurolophus and Kritosaurus, ceratopsians like Pentaceratops and ornithomimosaurs like Ornithomimus are also present. Predatory dinosaurs such as dromaeosaurs were also present, but large tyrannosaurs such as Bistahieversor would have been a particular danger.
Further Reading
- A new ankylosaurid from the Upper Cretaceous Kirtland Formation, San Juan Basin, with comments on the diversity of ankylosaurids in New Mexico - Michael E. Burns and Robert M. Sullivan - 2011.
