In Depth
The name Tsagantegia means ‘of Tsagen-Teg’ which can be further translated to Englishto mean ‘of White Mountain’, and this is a reference to the location where the holotype skull of Tsagantegia was first discovered. Tsagantegia is currently represented by a single skull, the features of which clearly identify Tsagantegia as an ankylosaurid dinosaur. Although unknown, Tsagantegia would have had a squat quadrupedal body similar to relatives, covered in thick bony armour, and bony club on the end of the tail. Post cranial fossil remains of Tsagantegia are unknown at the time of writing, so the full size of Tsagantegia is unknown for certain. Comparison to the skulls of other ankylosaurs however does reveal that Tsagantegia was most probably a mid-sized ankylosaur in the range of roughly around five meters long.
Further Reading
- O novom pantsirnov dinozavre iz iugo-vostochnoy Gobi [A new armored dinosaur from southeastern Gobi]. Paleontological Journal 27(2):119-125. - T. A. Tumanova - 1993.
