Genus
Valid Extinct

Sauropelta

Ostrom 1970
Etymology Reptile bouclier

Sauropelta is a genus of nodosaurid dinosaur that existed in the Early Cretaceous Period of North America. One species has been named. Anatomically, Sauropelta is one of the most well-understood nodosaurids, with fossilized remains recovered in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Montana, and possibly Utah. It is also the earliest known genus of nodosaurine; most of its remains are found in a section of the Cloverly Formation dated to 108.5 million years ago.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
34
Group
Dinosaures
Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial
Sauropelta
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Sauropelta (shielded reptile) © Ryan Somma · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 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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Sauropelta Genus
Fossil sites 34 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
34
Geological formations
Cloverly
31
Cedar Mountain
2
Wayan
1
Temporal distribution
Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)
1
Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)
32
Aptian (121.4–113.2 Ma)
1
Species (1)
Sauropelta edwardsorum 121 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
J. H. Ostrom. 1970. Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin area, Wyoming and Montana. Peabody Museum Bulletin 35:1-234
Bibliography (6)
J. I. Kirkland and J. R. Lively. 2023. MTE14 Mesozoic of Utah Field Trip. DOI ↗
L. J. Krumenacker, K. Carpenter, and J. R. Moore, D. J. Varricchio. 2023. Preliminary report on a partial nodosaur skeleton from the Wayan Formation of Idaho. 14th Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biota. The Anatomical Record 306 (S1)
M. P. J. Oreska, M. T. Carrano, and K. M. Dzikiewicz. 2013. Vertebrate paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous), I: faunal composition, biogeographic relationships, and sampling. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 33(2):264-292 DOI ↗
K. Carpenter, J. I. Kirkland, and D. Burge, J. Bird. 1999. Ankylosaurs (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) of the Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, and their stratigraphic distribution. Vertebrate Paleontology in Utah, D. D. Gillette (ed.), Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 99-1:243-251
W. D. Maxwell, B. H. Hallas, and J. R. Horner. 1997. Further neonate dinosaurian remains and dinosaurian eggshell from the Cloverly Formation of Montana. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 17(3, suppl.):63A
J. H. Ostrom. 1970. Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin area, Wyoming and Montana. Peabody Museum Bulletin 35:1-234