Build & Characteristics
- Edmontonia grew to 22 feet (6.6 meters) long and 6 feet (2.2 meters) high, with heavy armor to defend itself. The bony lumps that dotted its already rough hide are called osteoderms.
- All of that armor made Edmontonia weigh roughly 6,000 pounds (3 tons).
- It is theorized that Edmontonia had a highly developed sense of smell, evidenced by extensive nasal passages within their skull.
- Edmontonia was very particular in what its food source was. It suggests that Edmontonia could better avoid competition with other herbivories thanks to its specific jaw shape. The skull of Edmontonia is somewhat elongated with a protruding truncated snout
History
- Edmontonia roamed in what is now Canada during the late Cretaceous period (75-65 million years ago).
- A theory points toward the idea that the larger spikes that were forward pointing were a male attribute however there is the possibility that it may have come from the age of Edmontonia and not the gender.
- These spikes were also used to attack or ward off any predators. They may have even used them to ward off other Edmontonia from their territory. They would have spent most of their lives alone, grazing alongside other herbivores.
- Rings in the petrified wood around these specimens suggest a strong seasonal change in precipitation and temperature, most likely a woodland type environment.
Discovery
- Edmontonia was found in 1915 in the Edmonton Rock Formation in Alberta, Canada (now the Horseshoe Canyon Formation) by George Paterson.
- Edmonton in Canada is one of the few regions to have two dinosaurs named after it, the duck billed Edmontosaurus as well as Edmontonia. However Edmontonia isn’t named after the city, but the Edmonton Formation where it was discovered.