Dinosaur genus

Panoplosaurus

Lambe 1919

Panoplosaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 83.6–66 million years old, in Canada and the United States.

Confidence labels

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Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.

At a glance

Data as of 12 October 2026

83.6–66 Ma

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by: Lambe 1919
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Described in: L. M. Lambe (1919). Description of a new genus and species (Panoplosaurus mirus) of an armoured dinosaur from the Belly River Beds of Alberta. Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, series 3 13: 39–50.
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Lambe 1919).
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
Type species: Panoplosaurus mirus
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Lived: Campanian to Maastrichtian, 83.6–66 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation83.6–66 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
medium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 11 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Fossils found in: Canada
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (6 records).
United States
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
Rock formations: Dinosaur Park
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).
Two Medicine
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Aguja
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Bearpaw Shale
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Judith River Formation
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Lance Formation
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
Family: Nodosauridae
high
high: PBDB and NHM agree.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Parent group: Nodosauridae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Order: Ornithischia
medium
medium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.
Known from: Bones
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), Natural History Museum Data Portal (CC0 1.0), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

Gaps are answers

What isn't known yet

Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
Held back: 4 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf." or "?").
Resting on one source: 5 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): authority (PBDB); type species (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); order (NHM); age (headline) (PBDB).

Size, diet and behaviour aren't covered yet. Omnisaura leaves them out rather than guess.

Where sources disagree

None open. Where our sources overlap, they agree on everything shown here.

Did it meet…?

Did Panoplosaurus meet ?

Yes. Both are found, identified to species, in the same rocks of the same age: Dinosaur Park, Lance.

Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.

Lived alongside

Genera found in the same rock formations, from rocks of the same age.

Saurornitholestes Triceratops Richardoestesia Centrosaurus Troodon Paronychodon Corythosaurus Dromaeosaurus Stegoceras Chasmosaurus Edmontosaurus Agujaceratops Lambeosaurus Euoplocephalus Gorgosaurus Prosaurolophusand 61 more

Same family

Other genera in Nodosauridae with a full profile.

Acantholipan Animantarx Anoplosaurus Borealopelta Edmontonia Gastonia Glyptodontopelta Hoplitosaurus Hungarosaurus Hylaeosaurus Niobrarasaurus Nodosaurus Polacanthus Sauropelta Silvisaurus Struthiosaurusand 1 more

Credits

Where this page comes from

Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines