Open Paleo

Borealopelta

Brown et al., 2017 BOH-ree-AH-low-PEL-tuh

From Greek boreas meaning 'northern/north wind' and Greek pelta meaning 'shield'. Full meaning: 'northern shield', referring to its armored body and Canadian (northern) origin.

113.2–100.5 million years ago Albian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

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.

Diagnosis

  1. Large hexagonal dermal plate in frontoparietal region and multiple (>20) small dermal plates in frontonasal region
  2. Jugal (suborbital) horn base longer than orbit length
  3. Cervical and thoracic osteoderms form continuous (abutting) transverse rows completely separated by continuous transverse rows of polygonal basement scales
  4. Osteoderm count for transverse rows: cervicals C1-3, C2-3, C3-3, transition TR-2, thoracic T1-6
  5. Third and sixth transverse thoracic osteoderm rows expressed medially but pinch out laterally

Species

Borealopelta markmitchelli Brown et al., 2017

Type species

Named for technician Mark Mitchell, who spent six years preparing the holotype fossil for study at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Holotype
TMP 2011.033.0001 , Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology
Material
Articulated specimen preserving head, neck, most of trunk and sacrum, complete right and partial left forelimb and manus, partial pes; in situ osteoderms and nearly complete soft tissue integument preserved dorsally and laterally
Horizon
Wabiskaw Member, Clearwater Formation, Albian, Early Cretaceous , 113.2–100.5 million years ago
Locality
Suncor Millennium Mine, Alberta, Canada

References

  1. Brown, C. M.; Henderson, D. M.; Vinther, J.; Fletcher, I.; Sistiaga, A.; Herrera, J.; Summons, R. E. (2017). An Exceptionally Preserved Three-Dimensional Armored Dinosaur Reveals Insights into Coloration and Cretaceous Predator-Prey Dynamics. Current Biology 27(16): 2514-2521.e3. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.071 brown2017a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate, and the appearance features.

    jones2026a
  3. Brown, C. M.; Greenwood, D. R.; Kalyniuk, J. E.; Braman, D. R.; Henderson, D. M.; Greenwood, C. L.; Basinger, J. F. (2020). Dietary palaeoecology of an Early Cretaceous armoured dinosaur (Ornithischia; Nodosauridae) based on floral analysis of stomach contents. Royal Society Open Science 7(6): 200305. The Royal Society. doi:10.1098/rsos.200305

    Prints the holotype's UTM position in the Suncor Millennium Mine, and places it in the Wabiskaw Member.

    brown2020b