Genus

Valid Extinct

Polacanthus

Fox 1866

Etymology aux nombreux piquants

Polacanthus is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian dinosaurs from the early Cretaceous of England. Several species have been named in the genus Polacanthus, but only the type species, Polacanthus foxii, is currently seen as valid. There are not many fossil remains of this dinosaur, and some important anatomical features, such as its skull, are poorly known. It grew to about 4–5 metres (13–16 ft) long. Its body was covered with armour plates and spikes. It may be a basal member of the Nodosauridae or part of a separate family, the Polacanthidae.

Temporal range

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

Paleogene

Neogene

252 201 145 66 0 Ma

PBDB occurrences

Group

Dinosaures

Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial

click to enlarge

Armour of Polacanthus foxii © G. M. Woodward · Public domain · Wikimedia

PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗

Classification

Dinosauria Unranked clade

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Ornithischia Unranked clade

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Parapredentata Unranked clade

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Saphornithischia Unranked clade

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Prionodontia Unranked clade

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Genasauria Unranked clade

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Thyreophora Unranked clade

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Thyreophoroidea Superfamily

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Eurypoda Unranked clade

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Ankylosauria Unranked clade

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Euankylosauria Unranked clade

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Nodosauridae Family

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Polacanthus Genus

Measurements

Length

4,85 m ⓘ

Polacanthus foxii

5 m ⓘ

Mass

1 000 kg ⓘ

Polacanthus foxii

Fossil sites 16 geolocated sites

Distribution

Top countries

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇪🇸 Spain

Geological formations

Wessex

Wadhurst Clay

Tunbridge Wells Sand

Pinilla de los Moros

Golmayo

Arcillas de Morella

Vectis

Piedrahita de Muñó

Ferruginous Sands

Temporal distribution

Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)

Aptian (121.4–113.2 Ma)

Barremian (125.77–121.4 Ma)

Hauterivian (132.6–125.77 Ma)

Valanginian (137.05–132.6 Ma)

Berriasian (143.1–137.05 Ma)

Species (4)

Euacanthus vectianus objective synonym of Polacanthus foxii 139 Ma

Polacanthus becklesi subjective synonym of Polacanthus foxii 139 Ma

Polacanthus foxii 139 Ma

Polacanthus rudgwickensis 126 Ma

Synonyms (2)

Euacanthus objective synonym of Polacanthus

Vectensia subjective synonym of Polacanthus

Images 1

Bibliography

Original description

W. Fox. 1866. On a new Wealden saurian named Polacanthus. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Birmingham 1865:56

Bibliography (13)

W. T. Blows and K. Honeysett. 2014. New nodosaurid teeth (Dinosauria, Ankylosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous of southern England. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 59(4):835-841 DOI ↗

P. Austen, D. Brockhurst, and K. Honeysett. 2010. Vertebrate fauna from Ashdown Brickworks, Bexhill, East Sussex. Wealden News (8):13-23

N. Hernández Medrano, C. Pascual Arribas, and P. Latorre Macarrón, E. Sanz Pérez. 2006. Contribución de los yacimientos de icnitas sorianos al registro general de Cameros [Contribution of the Sorian track localities to the general registry of Cameros]. Zubía 23-24:79-120

J. I. Canudo, J. I. Ruiz-Omeñaca, and G. Cuenca-Bescós. 2004. Los primeros dientes de anquilosaurio (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) descritos en el Cretácico Inferior de España [The first ankylosaurian teeth (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) described from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain]. Revista Española de Paleontología 19(1):33-46

X. Pereda Suberbiola, M. Meijide, and F. Torcida, J. Welle, C. Fuentes, L. A. Izquierdo, D. Montero, G. Pérez, V. Urién. 1999. Espinas dermicas del dinosaurio anquilosaurio Polacanthus en las facies Weald de Salas de los Infantes (Burgos, España) [Dermal spines of the ankylosaurian dinosaur Polacanthus in the Weald facies of Salas de los Infantes (Burgos, Spain)]. Estudios Geológicos 55:267-272

W. T. Blows. 1996. A new species of Polacanthus (Ornithischia: Ankylosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous of Sussex, England. Geological Magazine 133(6):671-682 DOI ↗

J. D. Radley. 1996. Type, figured and cited specimens in the Museum of Isle of Wight Geology (Isle of Wight, England). The Geological Curator 6(5):187-193 DOI ↗

H. Astibia, E. Buffetaut, and A. D. Buscalioni, H. Cappetta, C. Corral, R. Estes, F. Garcia-Garmilla, J. J. Jaeger, E. Jiminez-Fuentes, J. Le Loeuff, J. M. Mazin, X. Orue-Etexebarria, J. Pereda-Suberbiola, J. E. Powell, J. C. Rage, J. Rodriguez-Lazaro, J. L. Sanz, H. Tong. 1990. The fossil vertebrates from the Lano (Basque Country, Spain); new evidence on the composition and affinities of the Late Cretaceous continental faunas of Europe. Terra Nova 2:460-466 DOI ↗

W. T. Blows. 1987. The armoured dinosaur Polacanthus foxi from the Lower Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight. Palaeontology 30(3):557-580

P. M. Galton. 1985. British plated dinosaurs (Ornithischia, Stegosauridae). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 5(3):211-254 DOI ↗

W. T. Blows. 1982. A preliminary account of a new specimen of <i>Polacanthus foxi</i> (Ankylosauria, Reptilia) from the Wealden of the Isle of Wight. Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society 1980 pt. 5(7):303-306

J. B. Delair. 1982. Notes on an armoured dinosaur from Barnes High, Isle of Wight. Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society 7(5):297-302

J. W. Hulke. 1881. <i>Polacanthus foxii</i>, a large undescribed dinosaur from the Wealden Formation in the Isle of Wight. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 172:653-662

Polacanthus

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