Unravelling the biology of the nodosaurid dinosaur Struthiosaurus austriacus from the Late Cretaceous of Austria

Nodosaurids are thyreophoran dinosaurs displaying extensive body armor composed
of closely arranged bony osteoderms, which are partly modified into prominent spikes
around their neck and shoulders. Struthiosaurus is a European Late Cretaceous
representative of this spiky group of herbivorous quadrupeds. Numerous cranial and
postcranial remains were unearthed in the 19th century and later assigned to different
individuals of Struthiosaurus austriacus; with a comparatively small body size of
approximately three meters in maximum length. The material comes from early
Campanian continental beds of Austria, now housed in the Department of
Palaeontology of the University of Vienna. Although subject to extensive research in
the past, some aspects of the biology of this enigmatic thyreophoran dinosaur still
remain unknown. In this talk, we are aiming to help answer unresolved questions and
overcome limitations of previous studies by providing a closer look at the available
material of Struthiosaurus austriacus.