Akainacephalus

Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Ornithischia > Genasauria > Thyreophora > Thyreophoroidea > Eurypoda > Ankylosauria > Euankylosauria > Ankylosauridae > Ankylosaurinae

Overview: Akainacephalus was a close relative of the famous Ankylosaurus, though it lived around eight to ten million years earlier. The two dinosaurs belonged to the family Ankylosauridae, within the larger thyreophoran clade Ankylosauria. Like all ankylosaurs, Akainacephalus was protected by extensive dermal armor, formed out of bony scutes growing across the back, sides, neck, tail, and even on the head. Its generic name, meaning “thorny head”, refers to its cranial osteoderms, which took the form of pronounced, often pointed tile-like scutes. It would take a powerful predator to kill a fully grown adult. In addition to its armor, Akainacephalus also had a bony club at the end of its tail to give it a more active means of defense. Fossil evidence suggests that these clubs were likely used for intraspecific combat, probably between males, using side-to-side strikes.

Similar to other ankylosaurids, Akainacephalus was probably a low-browser, eating plants like ferns or early flowering shrubs. Ankylosaurids tended to have wider snouts than other ankylosaurs, such as those in the nodosaurid family, which suggests they were less selective feeders. The two groups often coexisted, suggesting they occupied different niches. Akainacephalus fossils are known from the Kaiparowits Formation of Utah, dated to about seventy-six million years ago. It would’ve lived alongside dinosaurs like Kosmoceratops, Nasutoceratops, Parasaurolophus, and Teratophoneus – a tyrannosaurid and probable apex predator on land. The waterways were home to large predators like Deinosuchus; a relative of modern crocodilians. Based on decent remains, the first specimen of Akainacephalus was discovered in the late 2000’s.