Borealopelta

Credit: Julius Csotonyi.

*Borealopelta*, or the Suncor ankylosaur, is an extinct genus of nodosaurid dinosaur that lived in Canada during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

*Borealopelta* is a heavily armored nodosaur that led a herbivorous lifestyle. *Borealopelta* had osteoderms down the back and tail, extending down to the forelimbs, with two large spines just above its shoulder. *Borealopelta* had a flat head, with a flat beak. The osteoderms along the animals neck start small, but grow in size to the base of the neck, where the osteoderms start to get smaller once again.

*Borealopelta* was was a reddish tone, fading into a dull brown and then white, The skin patterns demonstrate countershading, a method to evade predators by camouflaging into the environment. The armour was used for defense rather than display functionalities. Borealopelta had a very broad body, with closely spaced rows of osteoderms along its back.

## Paleobiology

*Borealopelta* lived in Alberta, Canada during the Early Cretaceous. *Borealopelta* inhabited the Clearwater Formation, with overlays the McMurray Formation. The holotype must have been washed out to sea during a flood after ingesting food, only several hours later. The bloated carcass must have floated for weeks, until bursting and landing on the sea floor. The carcass was covered with about 6 inches of sediment before the body fluids released. The carcass, now a husk of the live animal, was filled with sand, to which a siderite shell began to form round the body shortly after *Borealopelta* hit the seabed. This prevented scavenging, and kept the body intact.

### Diet

*Borealopelta* ate fern palms mainly, with smaller amounts of tree bark and conifers. The holotype specimen, the Suncor nodosaur, preserved a stomach full of food. The stomach contained mostly fern fragments, this dramatic increase shows that *Borealopelta* were extremely picky feeders. The stomach also contained 6% charcoal; the animal was foraging in an area effected by wildfires. The stomach proves that the animal ingested the food during mid-summer, only to die several hours later.

## Notable Specimens

* TMP 2011.033.0001: A holotype mummy of *Borealopelta*; containing an 18 foot long body, with osteoderms, melanosomes, scales, organs, bones, armour and keratin sheathes.

## History

The holotype specimen was discovered by oil sand workers in 2011 in Fort Mcmurray operated by Suncor Energy. After the mummified corpse was struck by equipment, the workers on shift notified the Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology (RTMP), and the specimen was properly excavated. Excluding the broken fragments, the fossil was entrapped in an 8 meter cliff-side that took 14 days to fully uncover and prepare for scientific description. When the fossil mummy was being raised out of the mine, it broke into several pieces under its own weight. The specimen was wrapped in plaster, and successfully transported for study. Technician Mark Mitchell spent six years stripping the fossil of excess rock. The process was sponsored by National Geographic, named *B. markmitchelli* in honor of him, and put on display on May 12th, 2017. In 2021, Guinness World Records assigned the "Suncor nodosaur", *B. markmitchelli*, a certificate for the "Best-Preserved Armoured Dinosaur". The certificate reads:

—The Guinness World Records certificate

## Gallery

### Reconstructions

**Credit: CisioPurple on DeviantArt.****Credit: Jacob Baardse.****Credit: Julius Csotonyi.**

## References

1. ↑ https://equatorialminnesota.blogspot.com/2015/09/coming-attractions-in-dinosauria.html
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borealopelta
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/RoyalTyrrell/status/1450848835207671811