Talarurus
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Talarurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 90 Ma |
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| Front view of skeleton | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Family: | †Ankylosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Ankylosaurinae |
| Genus: |
†Talarurus Maleev, 1952 |
| Species: | †T. plicatospineus |
| Binomial name | |
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Talarurus plicatospineus Maleev, 1952 |
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Talarurus (/ˌtæləˈrʊərəs/ TAL-ə-ROOR-əs; meaning "Wicker tail") is an extinct genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur that lived approximately 90 million years ago during the latter part of the Cretaceous Period in what is now Mongolia. Talarurus was a hippopotamus-sized, heavily built, ground-dwelling, quadrupedal herbivore, that could grow up to an estimated 6 m (19.7 ft) long. Like other ankylosaurs it had heavy armour and a club on its tail. Along with Tsagantegia, Talarurus is one of the oldest known ankylosaurines from Asia and one of the better-known ankylosaurs from Mongolia.
The genus name Talarurus means "basket tail", and is derived from the Greek word talaros (τάλαρος), and the Latinized form "urus" of the Greek word οὐρά, oura, meaning "tail". The genus name is a reference to the club end of the tail which bears resemblance to a wicker basket, and the length of the tail which consists of interlaced bony struts, reminiscent of the weave that is employed when making wicker baskets. The type and only valid species known today is Talarurus plicatospineus. The specific name "plicatospineus" is derived from the Latin words plicatus which means "folded" and spineus which means "thorny". This is a reference to the corrugated spines which are present on the surface of its armor plates.Talarurus was described and named by Russian paleontologist Evgeny Maleev in 1952.
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