With massive tails studded with spikes, ankylosaurs were armoured herbivores that could do real damage in a fight. Palaeontologists once thought that these tank-like dinosaurs used their tail clubs solely to fight off predators, but a new study reveals that they also bashed each other in a show of dominance. Researchers examined Zuul crurivastator, the most complete fossilised ankylosaur, on display at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Canada.
Measuring six metres and weighing 2,500 kilograms, the 76-million-yearold specimen from the Cretaceous period contains several broken spikes along its flanks. Sections of fossilised skin on its flanks also show that Zuul’s side wounds healed while the dinosaur was still alive. “The fossilised skin preservation over the damaged bony plates blew me away. Seeing the healing reflected in the soft tissue is something really special about Zuul,” said David Evans of ROM. “Zuul gives us a remarkable picture of what these animals looked like when they were alive.” For years, scientists believed that ankylosaurs only used their ‘sledgehammer-like’ tails to swat away predators. This is true. However, the injuries inflicted on Zuul add another piece to the puzzle.