Edmontonia

Thorned like a rose

Edmontonia, amidst a sea of fragrant magnolias and clusters of berberis flowers, can be found. In an effort to avoid the most intimidating predatory dinosaurs, Edmontonia developed enormous spikes. If a Tyrannosaur threatened it in the midst of a meal of laurel leaves, Edmontonia would lower itself to protect its sensitive, soft belly against the attacking dinosaur, which would run straight into the spikes on its back.

Once the attacker retreated, Edmontonia, in a manner reminiscent of Ferdinand the Bull, could peacefully continue munching on the abundance of flowering plants that covered the land during the Cretaceous period. However, it is not certain that Edmontonia was entirely passive, as some researchers suggest that the spikes could have been used for active self-defense or perhaps to run through a group of attacking predatory dinosaurs. We see similar defense mechanisms today in both the plant and animal kingdoms, where hedgehogs, pufferfish, and roses defend themselves with thorns and spikes.

Size
Up to over 6.5 meters long

Weight
Approximately 3 tons

Period
Late Cretaceous period (76.6 – 69 million years ago)

Diet
Herbivorous

Discovery Sites
Canada and Montana