Ankylosaurids were among the most heavily armored Cretaceous dinosaur . However , it seems all that protective plating was not their only defence , with evidence that members of the family had forefeet suit to dig up , in all probability to cut up out protective hollows .
Digging tunnel has been such a successful move for so many mammals , we might look some dinosaur would have conk down that path as well . Indeed , the ecosystem as a whole often benefits from coinage that apprehend , whether it be providing a source of water in teetotal times – which wombats have beenfound to offer – or when echidnasrefresh the soil .
However , evidence that dinosaur adopted similar niches has been thin . Dr Yuong - Nam Leeof Seoul National University examined a specimen from the Baruungoyot Formation , Mongolia , and found an arc shape to the castanets of its front metrical unit suit to reposition world .
The specimen , stuck with the unromantic appointment MPC - D 100/1359 rather than a name like many noted dinosaur fogy , was key out in the 1970s , but not test in detail until now . MPC - D 100/1359 also had several fused vertebrae and fewer bone in its hindfeet than most counterparts . These would have maximize its capacity to hold its ground , for lesson if it needed to firmly plant its back substructure and dig ferociously .
All this does not needfully mean MPC - D 100/1359 was the eq of modern - day moles or meerkat , species with a heavily subterranean lifestyle . InScientific ReportsLee and co - authors nominate some Asian ankylosaurids were able to dig for ascendant or groundwater , and may have protected their vulnerable bottom by excavate shallow colliery that made them toilsome for predators to flip when they squat down .
Although the ankylosaurs were snug relatives of easily thebest - preservednon - avian dinosaur we have ever found , most of the nine described Mongolian specie are acknowledge only from skulls . MPC - D 100/1359 , on the other hand , has an outstandingly complete torso . Ribs , vertebrae , sternal plates , branch bones , and dermal armor have been found , although there is no ghost of the head or tail . Some theropod digit and toe bone were mix in , but whether the two beast killed each other in an epic battle or died at different times is unidentified .
Despite this unusual treasure treasure trove , Lee and co - authors could n’t match MPC - D 100/1359 confidently to any of the ankylosaurs name on the basis of their skull . It may be a Modern metal money , or could belong to a couple of existing unity .
MPC - D 100/1359 had a trunk two meters ( 7 feet ) long , so allowing for the common ankylosaur balance , would have been around 5 meters ( 16.4 feet ) from nose to tail . There has antecedently been speculation as to whether ankylosaurs dug , with somepaleontologists dismissingthe idea because of their size . However , the paper notes the largestground slothsachieved similar proportions ( minus the tail ) and they are thought to have beenmighty excavators .
