Ankylosaur Scute

ANKYLOSAUR OSTEODERM WITH ASSOCIATED BONE FRAGMENTS Ankylosauria indet. Lance Formation, Late Cretaceous Niobrara County, Wyoming, USA A striking block of ankylosaur material preserving a substantial dermal osteoderm together with associated fossil bone in original Lance Formation matrix. The principal osteoderm is broad and asymmetrical, with a gently raised profile and a richly textured external surface characteristic of ankylosaur armor. Several additional bones remain exposed within the surrounding matrix, including a prominent curved element, creating an unusually evocative assemblage rather than a single isolated piece. Preserved with much of its natural matrix intact, the specimen has the immediacy of a field discovery and offers a compelling glimpse of the heavily armored dinosaurs that inhabited western North America at the close of the Cretaceous. Matrix dimensions: approximately 11 × 11 × 4 in. (28 × 28 × 10 cm)