Saichania is a genus of herbivorous ankylosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of Mongolia and China.
Saichania
Barun Goyot Formation in Mongolia
Saichania skull cast mounted on the skeleton of cf. Pinacosaurus in Mongolia
Skeleton mount of cf. Pinacosaurus with Saichania skull cast.
Ankylosauridae is a family of armored dinosaurs within Ankylosauria, and is the sister group to Nodosauridae. The oldest known Ankylosaurids date to around 122 million years ago and went extinct 66 million years ago during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. These animals were mainly herbivorous and were obligate quadrupeds, with leaf-shaped teeth and robust, scute-covered bodies. Ankylosaurids possess a distinctly domed and short snout, wedge-shaped osteoderms on their skull, scutes along their torso, and a tail club.
Ankylosauridae
Skull of first known ankylosaurid specimen, belonging to Ankylosaurus
Club of indeterminate ankylosaurine, CMN 349
Gastonia and other polacanthine dinosaurs have uncertain placement, possibly within Ankylosauridae