Cedarpelta Facts
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 2m |
| Length | 7m |
| Weight | 5 tonnes |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Cretaceous |
| Period | Early Cretaceous |
| Type | Ankylosaur |
| Location | United States |

| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 2m |
| Length | 7m |
| Weight | 5 tonnes |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Cretaceous |
| Period | Early Cretaceous |
| Type | Ankylosaur |
| Location | United States |
Cedarpelta was a heavily armoured ankylosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period, approximately 121 million years ago. This impressive herbivore roamed what is now Utah in the United States, inhabiting the ancient floodplains and forests preserved in the Cedar Mountain Formation. At 7 metres long and weighing around 5 tonnes, Cedarpelta was a substantial plant-eating dinosaur built like a living tank.
What made Cedarpelta particularly unusual among ankylosaurs was its skull structure. Unlike most of its heavily armoured relatives, Cedarpelta's skull bones remained separate rather than fusing together completely, giving palaeontologists rare insights into ankylosaur skull anatomy. The skull also lacked the extensive horns and spikes seen in many other ankylosaurs, presenting a relatively smooth profile despite its robust construction.
As a herbivore, Cedarpelta spent its days browsing on ferns, cycads, and early flowering plants that grew in the warm, humid climate of the Early Cretaceous. Its low-slung body and broad beak were perfectly adapted for cropping vegetation close to the ground. The dinosaur's massive body was supported by four sturdy legs and covered in protective armour plating, providing excellent defence against the various predators that shared its environment.
Cedarpelta represents an important early branch in ankylosaur evolution, helping scientists understand how these armoured giants developed their distinctive features over millions of years of evolution.
Cedarpelta had unusually unfused skull bones for an ankylosaur, giving it a unique head structure. Its skull lacked the extensive cranial ornamentation typical of many other armoured dinosaurs, presenting a relatively smooth profile despite its robust build.
Cedarpelta likely moved in small herds across the ancient floodplains of Early Cretaceous Utah, using its broad beak to crop low-growing vegetation. When threatened by predators, it probably crouched down to protect its vulnerable underside whilst relying on its armoured back for protection.
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Ornithischia |
| Family | Ankylosauridae |
| Genus | Cedarpelta |
Cedarpelta was first described by Kenneth Carpenter, James Kirkland, Don Burge, and John Bird in 2001. The original fossils were discovered at Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, USA.