Sauropelta in 3D - click the head, an armor plate, a neck spine, or a leg for a fact (full controls on the Dinosaurs 3D hub).
Sauropelta was a low, heavily armored nodosaurid - turn on the human figure to see how a person compares to its broad armored body and long neck spines (nodosaurids have no tail club).
The measurements in the panel follow published estimates, with ranges shown where sources disagree.
Sauropelta 3D Viewer
Turn the Sauropelta with a drag, zoom closer with scroll, and click a body part to get a fact about it - the Dinosaurs 3D hub lists every control.
Sauropelta lived about 110-108 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous of western North America (Cloverly Formation, Wyoming and Montana). John Ostrom named the genus in 1970 from material Barnum Brown and others had collected earlier. Published length estimates are about 5.2-6 m and mass about 1.5-2 tonnes; this page uses 5.5 m and 1750 kg as panel baselines.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Length | about 5.2-6 m (panel baseline 5.5 m) |
| Hip height | about 1.5 m (panel baseline) |
| Weight | about 1.5-2 tonnes (panel baseline 1750 kg) |
| When it lived | about 110-108 million years ago (Early Cretaceous) |
| Diet | Herbivore |
This runs client-side through WebGL - no account to create, and nothing about your visit is transmitted to a server. Compare with the later club-tailed Ankylosaurus 3D Viewer and the crest-backed Tsintaosaurus 3D Viewer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big was Sauropelta?
Published estimates put Sauropelta at about 5.2 to 6 m long and about 1.5 to 2 tonnes. The long tail made up roughly half of that length. This page uses 5.5 m and 1750 kg as the facts-panel baselines. Turn on the human figure in the viewer to see the scale against a 1.8 m person.
Did Sauropelta have a tail club?
No. Sauropelta was a nodosaurid, and nodosaurids lack the bony tail club seen in ankylosaurids such as Ankylosaurus. Its defense toolkit was body armor plus large spines that projected from the neck and shoulders.
When and where did Sauropelta live?
In the Early Cretaceous, about 110 to 108 million years ago, in floodplain deposits of the Cloverly Formation in what is now Wyoming and Montana. John Ostrom named Sauropelta edwardsorum in 1970.
Is the model scientifically accurate?
The proportions follow published figures, but the skin color and soft-tissue outline are an artistic reconstruction - fossils preserve bone, not soft tissue or color. This model is not a fossil-accurate skeleton. The length, weight, and age figures shown are real published values, with ranges cited where sources disagree.
Do I need to install anything to view it?
No. The model renders in your browser with WebGL - no app, no account, and nothing about your visit is sent to a server. The 3D engine loads once and is then cached. When available, a free-licensed glTF model may swap in after first paint.