Ankylosaurus (Fused Lizard) is a large North American dinosaur. It is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon 2.
Description[]
Ankylosaurus was the largest, most famous and last of the armored dinosaurs known as the Ankylosaurians. Ankylosaurus weighed up to 4.5 metric tons (5 tons), and was about 10 meters (30 feet) long. The flexible skin of Ankylosaurus was covered with thick, hard ovals of embedded bone, which superficially resembled the plates of an armadillo. The armor completely covered the entire surface of its head and exposed body; it even had bony shelves over its eyes. Ankylosaurus also had short spikes lining both sides of its body. A set of horns stuck out from the back of its head, the two largest protruding from the corners. It also had a bony club on its muscular tail, which it could swing from side to side and use as a defensive weapon against predators such as Tyrannosaurus rex.
Ankylosaurus had comparatively short legs and was probably a slow-moving animal. As its belly was unprotected, it would likely have crouched low to protect it, relying on its armor, spikes and tail club for defense. A broad muzzle suggests it was a generalist browser, eating low-lying ferns and shrubs. Ankylosaurus lived in North America during the late Cretaceous period and was one of the last dinosaurs to have existed before the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event that wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs.
Zoo Tycoon[]
Ankylosaurus is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon and was added as part of the Dinosaur Digs expansion pack. It must be researched in order to be adopted.
Ankylosaurus is a Savannah animal and requires at least three individuals in its exhibit in order to be happy. It is compatible with Triceratops and the two species can be mixed together in a highly suitable exhibit.
 Animal Facts
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| Ankylosaurus, or "fused lizard," looks like a nightmarish cross between a tank and a turtle. This four-ton dinosaur is low to the ground and covered in bony plates and spikes. At the end of Ankylosaurus's powerful tail is a wrecking-ball-like knot of fused vertebrae and dense bony tissue covered by tough skin. The bony plates are fused to Ankylosaurus' skin and make it virtually impervious to claws and teeth. The bludgeon of a tail is also for self-defense. For all its fearsome appearance, though, Ankylosaurus is another peaceful plant muncher.
At only four feet tall, Ankylosaurus is shorter than a small child, but it also grows up to six feet wide across the back and thirty-five feet long. Unlike some of the other plant eaters, such as Iguanodon and Camptosaurus, Ankylosaurus is confined to life as a quadruped and can't stand on its hind legs to reach food. It uses its sharp turtle-like beak to bite off whatever low-growing vegetation it can find, and with its size it has to find a lot! Ankylosaurus also lacks good teeth for chewing up plant matter before swallowing it. Instead, Ankylosaurus will swallow some rocks to help mash food inside its stomach. Countless small bacteria in Ankylosaurus' gut finish the job of breaking down the plant matter into useable nutrients. This fermentation-tank approach to digestion has one unfortunate byproduct: huge quantities of gas. Just cross your fingers that the predominant winds blow away from your visitors. Only a starving or foolish carnivorous dinosaur will try and make a meal out of Ankylosaurus. Their only vulnerable spot is their softer underbelly, and the only way to get to that would be to flip them over. Given Ankylosaurus' massive weight and the spikes along their sides, flipping them would be near impossible. And then, of course, there is the tail. Ankylosaurus' strong and flexible tail may well be the most dangerous natural weapon in your zoo! Swung with force, the large bony knot at the end can smash an ankle or fracture the leg of any predator who gets too close. Even in a zoo fully staffed with dino caretakers, such a traumatic leg injury would mean certain death for a big predator. |
Zoo Tycoon 2[]
Ankylosaurus is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon 2 and was added as part of the Extinct Animals expansion pack. In Campaign and Challenge mode, it is adoptable once a zoo reaches a rating of 4 stars.
Ankylosaurus prefers the wetlands biome, with a lesser tolerance of the savannah, grassland, and scrub biomes. Ankylosaurus is one of ten animals that can rampage through a zoo. While Ankylosaurus can generally be placed in the same exhibit with other herbivores such as Kentrosaurus and the Elephant Bird, a rampaging Ankylosaurus may choose to attack one of its companions, possibly leading to a death.
Ankylosaurus shows sexual dimorphism, with males being darker around the spikes and clubs than females. The Ankylosaurus' diet consists of grass, branches, and roots. They can consume these from regular source, dishes, troughs and substrate piles. Ankylosaurus can investigate its exhibit fence or even the zoo wall to stimulate themselves. They will use a scratching post to clean, otherwise, they can use large enrichment objects such as the Pursuit Ball, Plastic Barrell and Car Tire. Like other extinct animals from the wetlands biome, a misty spring object should be placed in its exhibit to completely satisfy its environmental need. The Ankylosaurus has only two shelters it can use, those being the Shade Structure and the Rock Shelter.
 zootycoon.com Description
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| The Ankylosaurus had short legs, which limited its speed, but this immense tank of a beast was very agile. Besides its great size and armored plating, the Ankylosaurus’s most notable feature was its clublike tail, which it could swing with great force. It could easily defeat even the largest attackers. However, unlike other dinosaurs armed with similar equipment, there is no evidence that it used its appendage in tail-to-tail combat with other males during mating season. |
 Zoopedia Description
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| The Ankylosaurus lived during the Cretaceous Period and became extinct about 80 million years ago. Ankylosaurid fossils have been found in North America and Asia.
The Ankylosaurus had short legs, which limited its speed, but this immense tank of a beast was very agile. Besides its great size and armored plating, the Ankylosaurus' most notable feature was its clublike tail, which it could swing with great force. It could easily defeat even the largest attackers. However, unlike other dinosaurs armed with similar equipment, there is no evidence that Ankylosaurus magniventris used its appendage in tail-to-tail combat with other males during mating season. Diet: herbivore; height: 1.7 m (5.5 ft) at the hip; length: 6.25 to 9 m (20.5 to 30 ft). Fun Facts
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Gallery[]
Zoo Tycoon[]
Zoo Tycoon 2[]
Trivia[]
- In both appearances, Ankylosaurus is unable to defend itself from any large predator, while it is very likely to have been more than able to in real life. However, it does attack guests and other Ankylosaurus with its tail club.
- The Bald Cypress Tree was intended to be the Ankylosaurus favoured foliage rather than the Sigillaria Tree at some point in development, due in part to the research string for the Bald Cypress Tree erroneously referring to it as the favoured foliage of Ankylosaurus, in a similar vein to other researchable dinosaurs. This may also explain the presence of the Bald Cypress Tree in the background of the plaque.