Borealopelta

Borealopelta is from the family of nodosaurid group closely related to the more famous Ankylosaurs. They lived approximately 110 million years ago during the early Cretaceous period, in what is now the province of Alberta, Canada.

It was first discovered in 2011 by a heavy equipment operator working in a mine. The specimen was extremely well-preserved, with soft tissues such as skin, scales, and even stomach contents fossilized.

This amazing forsil is named Borealopelta markmitchelli where ‘markmitchelli’ honours the technitian Mark Mitchell, who spent more than 7,000 hours preparing this spectacular specimen for display in the Alberta Museum.

Discoveries such as this, where the animal has been entirely preserved, are highly uncommon and precious due to their ability to provide accurate details on the animal’s anatomy, such as the arrangement of its osteoderms while alive. The fossil of Borealopelta markmitchelli revealed that it possessed osteoderms that formed a body armor comparable to that found in contemporary crocodiles, complete with bony spines extending along its length used most probably to deter predators.

It had a wide, bulky body covered in armor plating, including spikes on its shoulders and a large, bony club at the end of its tail. 

Built fairly low to the ground, Borealopelta walked on all four legs. It is considered one of the very earliest of the nodosaur family, retaining some features of less armored herbivores. Its hind legs are considerably longer than its fore limbs, indicating that it evolved from an animal that may have occasionally stood on its hind legs. It had a particularly long tail that was equal to the length of its body.