Canadian dinosaurs · Drawing 22 of 32
Borealopelta
Alberta · Early Cretaceous
Borealopelta wore armour on its back and long spikes near its shoulders. It ate plants, long before the time of T. rex.
Did you know?
Its fossilized last meal contained mostly ferns.
Look together
Can you see the large shoulder spikes?
An idea to try
Colour a fern, then draw a leaf of your own.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Borealopelta markmitchelli is known from an exceptional Alberta fossil. Plant remains preserved in its belly provide direct evidence of a meal dominated by ferns. It lived in the Early Cretaceous, before most other dinosaurs in this book.
Look together: Can you see the large shoulder spikes? Colour a fern, then draw a leaf of your own.
Sources and illustration notes (2)
Simplified reconstruction informed by fossils and scientific comparisons. The pose, colours and setting are not directly known. Animals are not drawn to the same scale.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
- Royal Tyrrell Museum: BreakthroughsSee the scene’s factual text and editorial source notes.
- University of Saskatchewan: An armoured dinosaur’s last mealSee the scene’s factual text and editorial source notes.
Source review: 2026-10-02. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
