page_title: Talarurus
section_title: Skull
hierarchical_section_title: Talarurus / Description / Skull
caption_attribution_description: English: Diagram featuring the most complete skulls of Talarurus plicatospineus. Represented specimens: A) MPC-D 100/1354, B) MPC-D 100/1355 and C) MPC-D 100/1356. Mainly based on Park et al. 2019.&#91;1&#93; Abbreviations: asob: anterior supraorbital caputegulum - inca: internarial caputegulum - laca: lacrimal caputegulum - loca: loreal caputegulum - mso: middle supraorbital caputegulae - nasca: nasal caputegulum - nuca: nuchal caputegulum - poca: postocular caputegulum - prfca: prefrontal caputegulum - psob: posterior supraorbital caputegulum - qjh: quadratojugal horn - snca: supranarial caputegulum - sqh: squamosal horn Specimens not to scale. Caputegulum= Facial osteoderms. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Español: Diagrama mostrando los cráneos mas completos de Talarurus plicatospineus. Especímenes representados: A) MPC-D 100/1354, B) MPC-D 100/1355 y C) MPC-D 100/1356. Basado en Park et al. 2019. Abreviaciones: asob: caputegula supraorbital anterior- inca: caputegula internarial - laca: caputegula lacrimal - loca: caputegula - mso: caputegula supraorbital medial - nasca: caputegula nasal - nuca: caputegula nucal - poca: caputegula postocular - prfca: caputegula prefrontal - psob: caputegula supraorbital posterior - qjh: cuerno quadratojugal - snca: caputegula supranarial- sqh: cuerno escamosal Los especímenes representados no están a escala. Caputegulum= Osteodermos faciales. References ↑ &#32;(2019).&#32;"Additional skulls of Talarurus plicatospineus (Dinosauria: Ankylosauridae) and implications for paleobiogeography and paleoecology of armored dinosaurs". Cretaceous Research. DOI:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104340.
context_page_description: Talarurus is a genus of ankylosaurid thyreophoran dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period, about 102 million to 86 million years ago. The first remains of Talarurus were discovered in 1948 and later described by the Russian paleontologist Evgeny Maleev with the type species T. plicatospineus. It is known from multiple yet sparse specimens, making it one of the most well known ankylosaurines, along with Pinacosaurus. Elements from the specimens consists of some bones from the body, however, five skulls have been discovered and assigned to the genus, although the first two were very fragmented.
  It was a medium-sized, heavily built, ground-dwelling, quadrupedal herbivore, that could grow up to 5 m long and weighed about 454 to 907 kg, nearly a ton. Like other ankylosaurs it had heavy armour and a club on its tail, making much of its mobility slow. Talarurus is classified as a member of the Ankylosauria, in the Ankylosaurinae, a group of derived ankyosaurs. Talarurus is known from the Bayan Shireh Formation, being likely niche partitioned with Tsagantegia, as indicated by its muzzle, which has a rectangular shape specialized for grazing.
context_section_description: The skull of Talarurus measured about 30 centimetres (300 mm) in total length. The holotype, PIN 557-91, is based only on a posterior skull roof, which features tubercle-like caputegulae (facial osteoderms or armor tiles) that resemble those of Nodocephalosaurus. As noted by Arbour and Currie, the skull roof of PIN 3780/1 appears to have slightly different caputegulae (head osteoderms or armour tiles), and that it was unclear if this represents a taxonomic issue. Nevertheless, all the referred skulls share the same patterns of caputegulae (although little variation among individuals is observable) and therefore referable to the genus.
  The most complete skull is MPC-D 100/1354. It nicely preserves the maxillary rostrum, which is broad and semi-rectangular in shape and fused, no teeth are found in this zone; probably useful on flat surfaces. As expected, the caputegulae are poligon to tubercle-shaped, with some being present on the nasal area. Each maxilla preserves 23 alveoli, however, the teeth were not preserved. Most of the caputegulae present in the top of the head are hexagonal in shape, in the holotype PIN 557-91 some are triangular. The orbitals are strongly armored with some osteoderms behind them. In MPC-D 100/1355 and MPC-D 100/1356 the squamosal and quadratojugal horns are thick and triangular, with the squamosals being more rounded. Usually, the lower jaw remains of Talarurus do not preserve, however, MPC-D 100/1355 was found in association with a right dentary, very fragmented though.
caption: Diagram featuring the most complete skulls, strongly differing from the mounted skeleton cast. A) MPC-D 100/1354, B) MPC-D 100/1355 and C) MPC-D 100/1356
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