In Depth
When fossils of Horshamosaurus were first discovered they were originally interpreted as coming from Iguanodon, but in 1996 they were re-described as a species of Polacanthus by William Blows. However in 2015 Blows re-described this species as a whole new genus named Horshamosaurus, citing clear differences in the vertebrae and armour. At the time of writing Horshamosaurus is credited as being a member of the Ankylosauria, though not necessarily a close relative of Polacanthus. Unfortunately the incomplete preservation of remains makes a more certain distinction hard to establish, and currently most reconstructions of Horshamosaurus have the genus as Polacanthus-like given we know that these types of thyreophoran dinosaurs were common in the world during the early Cretaceous. Horshamosaurus itself would have been a browser of low growing vegetation that relied upon thick bony scales called osteoderms to protect it from the teeth and claws of predatory dinosaurs.
Further Reading
- A new species of Polacanthus (Ornithischia; Ankylosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous of Sussex, England. - Geological Magazine, 133 (6): 671–682. - William T. Blows - 1996. - British Polacanthid Dinosaurs - Observations on the History and Palaeontology of the UK Polacanthid Armoured Dinosaurs and their Relatives. - Siri Scientific Press, 220 pp. - William T. Blows - 2015.
