User:Jdcapy/Ankylosauridae

Lifestyle[edit]
Most ankylosaurid teeth were leaf-shaped, implying a mainly herbivorous diet. Their teeth could be smooth or fluted, or may differ on labial and lingual surfaces. Euoplocephalus tutus possess ridges and grooves on their teeth that have no relation to their marginal cusps. With their downward-facing neck and head, it is plausible for ankylosaurids to feed in a grazing pattern.

Non-herbivorous habits have been implicated for some species, however. Pinacosaurus has been speculated as being an ant-eater-like long tongued insectivore, while Liaoningosaurus has been proposed to be a piscivore. Either would be exceptional evidence of carnivory among ornithischians.

The discovery of a fossilized larynx from Pinacosaurus grangeri, found to be capable of producing bird-like vocalizations due to its resemblance to the larynx structure of modern birds, could indicate that it and other members of ankylosauridae utilized vocalizations for communication between individuals, as a means of warding off potential predators, or territorial calls.

There are a few prevailing theories for ankylosaurid tail club function. The first is agonistic behaviour within a species. In most vertebrates, including dinosaurs, this behaviour is accompanied by structures for display or combat. Some researchers believe this phenomenon would have been implausible considering there is no modern tetrapod analogue that uses the tail for this purpose. These paleontologists instead propose that ankylosaurids made use of their broad, flat skull for head-butting between individuals.

The second theory for tail club function is for defense against predators. It has been postulated that the club would be most effective against the metatarsals of an attacking theropod.

The bones that form cranial ornamentation have physiological costs, and so would be inefficient to produce merely for protection against predation. The theory has therefore been posed that these wedge-shaped osteoderms could support a partly sexually selected interpretation.