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Dracopelta is an extinct genus of Ankylosaur that lived in Portugal during the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. Dracopelta has a problematic history due to poor records and scarce publications. A 2021 paper reviews unpublished images, notes and field data to identify the type as coming from a locality as a roadcut 400 meters southwest of Praia da Assenta Sul. They state it was discovered in 1964 and was excavated in December of that year. Dracopelta was a small Ankylosaur, being about 1 meter (2 feet), and is known from a single partial skeleton. The holotype consists of a rib cage, a putative pelvis, an ungual, a fibula, a tibia, a distal femur, ribs thirteen dorsal vertebrae and five osteoderms. It is is hard to determine the exact size of the animal, due to the fragmentary nature of the remains. In 2021, it was suggested this specimen to be called MG 3. Dracopelta is the first Ankylosaur to be recognized from the Late Jurassic, and is now the basalmost member of Ankylosauria. Dracopelta was originally classified in Nodosauridae. It was confirmed as an ankylosaurian in 2021.
Etymology Dragon shield Species D. zbyszewskii Location Portugal Length 1 meter (2 feet) Diet Herbivorous
