Pinacosaurus Dinosaur Morphology and Systematics Data

A re-evaluation of the armoured dinosaur Pinacosaurus based on dozens of new specimens. The dataset supports a cladistic analysis distinguishing species like P. grangeri and P. hilwitnorum. It was authored by Paul Penkalski and last updated on 2026-05-12.

Use Cases

• Conducting phylogenetic analysis based on morphological character data.
• Studying ontogenetic changes in ankylosaurid skull features.
• Mapping species diversity and distribution across Late Cretaceous Gobi Basin localities.
• Redescribing holotype specimens in light of updated taxonomic frameworks.
• Distinguishing between Pinacosaurus species and related genera like Eopinacosaurus.

Strengths

• Dataset is openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0.
• Analysis is based on dozens of new fossil specimens, allowing for a modern re-evaluation.
• Includes a specimen-level cladistic analysis to confirm taxonomic distinctions.

Limitations

• Dataset size is very small at 4.4 KB, indicating limited data volume.
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, hindering suitability assessment.
• The primary data format is NEX, which may require specialized software for analysis.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Morphological analysis and cladistic study of fossil specimens.

Time Range

Late Cretaceous

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-12 15:50:29.

Geography

Gobi Basin localities (e.g., Bayn Dzak, Ukhaa Tolgod, Alag Teeg).