Genus
Valid Extinct

Borealopelta

Brown et al. 2017

Borealopelta is an extinct genus of herbivorous nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of what is today Alberta, Canada. It contains a single species, B. markmitchelli, named in 2017 by Caleb Brown and colleagues from a well-preserved specimen known as the Suncor nodosaur. Discovered at an oil sands mine north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, the specimen is remarkable for being among the best-preserved dinosaur fossils of its size ever found. It preserved not only the armor (osteoderms) in their life positions, but also remains of their keratin sheaths, overlying skin, and stomach contents from the animal's last meal. Melanosomes were also found that indicate the animal had a reddish pinkish skin tone.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
1
Group
Dinosaures
Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial
Borealopelta
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Wikimedia
PBDB Wikipedia
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
Ornithischia Unranked clade
Parapredentata Unranked clade
Saphornithischia Unranked clade
Prionodontia Unranked clade
Genasauria Unranked clade
Thyreophora Unranked clade
Thyreophoroidea Superfamily
Eurypoda Unranked clade
Ankylosauria Unranked clade
Euankylosauria Unranked clade
Nodosauridae Family
Borealopelta Genus
Fossil sites 1 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇨🇦 Canada
1
Geological formations
Clearwater
1
Temporal distribution
Aptian (121.4–113.2 Ma)
1
Species (1)
Borealopelta markmitchelli 121 Ma
Images 2
Bibliography
Original description
C. M. Brown, D. M. Henderson, and J. Vinther, I. F., A. Sistiaga, J. Herrera, R. E. Summons. 2017. An exceptionally preserved three-dimensional armored dinosaur reveals insights into coloration and Cretaceous predator-prey dynamics. Current Biology 27:2514-2521 DOI ↗
Bibliography (1)
C. M. Brown, D. M. Henderson, and J. Vinther, I. F., A. Sistiaga, J. Herrera, R. E. Summons. 2017. An exceptionally preserved three-dimensional armored dinosaur reveals insights into coloration and Cretaceous predator-prey dynamics. Current Biology 27:2514-2521 DOI ↗