Omnisaura

Dinosaur genus

Antarctopelta

Salgado and Gasparini 2006

Antarctopelta is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 83.6–72.2 million years old, in Antarctica.

Confidence labels
How sure are we?4 high4 medium4 lowHow we rate confidence

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 11 October 2026
83.6–72.2 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
Salgado and Gasparini 2006
highhigh: PBDB and Wikidata agree.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Described in
L. Salgado, Z. Gasparini (2006). Reappraisal of an ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of James Ross Island (Antarctica). Geodiversitas 28(1): 119–135.
highhigh: PBDB gives this publication for the name; its author and year match the naming authority (Salgado and Gasparini 2006), on which PBDB and Wikidata agree.
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.

Lived
Campanian, 83.6–72.2 million years ago
highhigh: PBDB and NHM agree.
Omnisaura calculation83.6–72.2 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
lowlow: Omnisaura's calculation from only 1 dated record(s).
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Fossils found in
Antarctica
highhigh: NHM and PBDB both record it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).

Rock formations
Santa Marta Formation
disputedlow: Only NHM gives this name and it matches no PBDB formation; awaiting an editor.
Snow Hill Island
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.

Parent group
Parankylosauria
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Order
Ornithischia
mediummedium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.

Named after
Antarctica
mediummedium: Only Wikidata gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Wikidata. How it was chosen: Wikidata leads.

Species named in its records
Antarctopelta oliveroi
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).

Diet
herbivore (inferred for its group)
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this, and it infers it for the whole of Ornithischia, the group this genus belongs to, not from this genus's own fossils.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.

Way of life
ground dwelling, gregarious (inferred for its group)
lowlow: PBDB infers this way of life for the whole of Ornithischia; behaviour is rarely known for one genus.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.

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

  • Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Family: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Resting on one source: 4 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); order (NHM); named after (Wikidata); diet (PBDB).

Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.

Where sources disagree

1 open

Formations

  • records nothing herePBDB
  • Santa Marta FormationNHM

One source names a formation the other does not. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Did it meet…?

?

Same time, different places. Their fossils overlap in age, 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago, but no rock formation holds both.

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

Connections

Genera linked to Antarctopelta by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.

AntarctopeltaSame parent groupSame naming authorKunbarrasaurusBarrosasaurusBustingorrytitanCienciargentinaGasparinisauraand 3 more

Same parent group: Parankylosauria 1

Other genera in Parankylosauria with a full profile.

Kunbarrasaurus

Named by Gasparini and Salgado 7

Genera whose naming authority includes the same surname. The authority has no initials, so different people who share a surname can appear together.

BarrosasaurusBustingorrytitanCienciargentinaGasparinisauraGiganotosaurusLimaysaurusRocasaurus

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

Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.