Dinovember - 7 - Pinacosaurus

I was so stricken by the hyoid bone material and its potential implications. After watching tons of slow motion amphibian feeding videos, I just had to have my Pinacosaurus following suit. (Also - FA, you need more dinosaur clades/suborders in the species list than just Sauropod and Theropod! Thyreophorans and Cerapodans need love, too!)

"A juvenile specimen of Pinacosaurus preserves large paraglossalia (triangular bones or cartilages located in the tongue) which show signs of muscular stress, and it is thought this was a common feature of ankylosaurs. Pinacosaurus and other ankylosaurs likely relied heavily on muscular tongues and hyobranchia (tongue bones) when feeding, since their teeth were fairly small and were replaced at a relatively slow rate. Some modern salamanders have similar tongue bones, and use prehensile tongues to pick up food. Though Pinoacosaurus may not have fed on fibrous and woody plants, they may have had a more varied diet, including tough leaves and pulpy fruits.[21]" - Wikipedia

Art © 2015 Stephanie Dziezyk