Zuul

Zuhl.
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Maeve Foster

Paleoclimatologist

Maeve Foster explores the Earth's climatic past to understand the forces that shaped life on our planet. Her research into ancient climate events provides valuable context for current environmental challenges.

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Name

Zuul ‭(‬named after the character from the film Ghostbusters‭ (‬1984‭))‬.

Phonetic

Zuhl.

Named By

V.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Arbour‭ & ‬D.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Evans‭ ‬-‭ ‬2017.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ankylosauridae,‭ ‬Ankylosaurini.‭

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

Z.‭ ‬crurivastator‭

Size

Skull‭ ‬50‭ ‬centimetres long.‭ ‬Total body length roughly about‭ ‬6‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Montana‭ ‬-‭ ‬Judith River Formation.

Time Period

Late Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Skull and almost complete skeleton.

In Depth

       At the time of the description in‭ ‬2017,‭ ‬Zuul was the best preserved ankylosaurine ankylosaur ever found in North America.‭ ‬Not only was the skull and post cranial skeleton mostly complete,‭ ‬many of the armoured plates that adorned its back were still present.

       The type species name,‭ ‬Z.‭ ‬crurivastator,‭ ‬is Latin and basically means the‭ ‘‬destroyer of shins‭’‬.‭ ‬This is a reference to how ankylosaurid dinosaurs‭ ‬are thought to have‭ ‬defended themselves by using their tail clubs to hit the legs of attacking dinosaurs.‭ ‬The genus name Zuul is a reference to the character that appeared in the‭ ‬1984‭ ‬film Ghostbusers.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new ankylosaurine dinosaur from the Judith River Formation of Montana,‭ ‬USA,‭ ‬based on an exceptional skeleton with soft tissue preservation.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Royal Society Open Science‭ ‬4‭(‬161086‭)‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬V.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Arbour‭ & ‬D.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Evans‭ ‬-‭ ‬2017.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT