Open Paleo

Zuul

Arbour & Evans, 2017 Zool /ˈzuːl/

Named after Zuul, the fictional monster from the 1984 film Ghostbusters, due to the resemblance of its skull to the creature's face

83.6–72.2 million years ago Campanian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Zuul is a genus of herbivorous ankylosaurine dinosaur from the Campanian Judith River Formation of Montana. The type species is Zuul crurivastator. It is known from a complete skull and tail, which represents the first ankylosaurin known from a complete skull and tail club, as well as the most complete ankylosaurid specimen thus far recovered from North America. The specimen also preserved in situ osteoderms, keratin, and skin remains.

Diagnosis

  1. Frontonasal and frontoparietal caputegulae imbricated with distinct posteriorly located peaked apices.
  2. Prefrontal, frontoparietal, and middle supraorbital caputegulae strongly pyramidal with small bases and tall peaks.
  3. Squamosal horns with prominent longitudinal furrows on the lateral surface converging toward the apex.
  4. Lateral caudal osteoderms along the tail club handle with strongly concave leading edges and posteriorly offset apices.
  5. Tail club knob dorsoventrally flat with height-to-length ratio less than 0.20.

Species

Zuul crurivastator Arbour & Evans, 2017

Type species

From Latin 'crus' meaning 'shank' and 'vastator' meaning 'destroyer', reading as 'Destroyer of Shins' in reference to the presumed defensive tactic of smashing the lower legs of predatory theropods with its tail club.

Holotype
ROM 75860 , Royal Ontario Museum
Material
Nearly complete cranium, both lower jaws, disarticulated cervical vertebrae, articulated dorsal and sacral vertebrae, dorsal ribs, pelvic elements, complete articulated tail with tail club, in situ osteoderms, ossicles, and skin impressions.
Horizon
middle Coal Ridge Member, Judith River Formation, Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 83.6–72.2 million years ago
Locality
Theropoda Exp LLC Locality LC02(Q), Montana, United States

References

  1. Arbour, V. M.; Evans, D. C. (2017). A new ankylosaurine dinosaur from the Judith River Formation of Montana, USA, based on an exceptional skeleton with soft tissue preservation. Royal Society Open Science 4(5). The Royal Society. doi:10.1098/rsos.161086 arbour2017a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the mass and hip height estimates, and the appearance features.

    jones2026a