100-Million-Year-Old Footprints Reveal a New Armored Dinosaur in Canada

A set of 100-million-year-old footprints has been uncovered in the Canadian Rockies. These tracks belong to a newly identified club-tailed dinosaur, offering fresh insights into prehistoric life in the region. The discovery challenges existing knowledge of dinosaur activity in British Columbia and Alberta. The footprints were found at two separate sites in British Columbia and Alberta. They are the first of their kind, confirming the presence of a previously unknown club-tailed dinosaur in the area. Scientists have named the creature Ruopodosaurus clava, part of the ankylosaurid group known for their bony armour and spiked flanks.

The dinosaur is estimated to have been 5-6 metres long, with a tail ending in a sledgehammer-like club. No bones have been found yet, so the species was identified solely by its distinctive tracks. These footprints date back to the Cenomanian age, making them 16 million years older than any known North American ankylosaurid bones.

The tracks also suggest that Ruopodosaurus clava shared its mid-Cretaceous habitat with another dinosaur, Tetrapodosaurus borealis. Researchers believe this discovery is just the start, with plans for further exploration in the region. The finding of Ruopodosaurus clava highlights that ancient fossils can still reveal new secrets. Its tracks provide the earliest evidence of club-tailed dinosaurs in North America. Scientists now aim to uncover more fossils to deepen their understanding of these armoured creatures.