Sauropelta was named in 1970 based on fossil material from Wyoming and Montana. In 1984 paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter restudied this and other material, along with fossil footprints referred to Sauropelta, which led to an accurate reconstruction of the skeleton and armor. This makes Sauropelta one of the best understood of all the ankylosaurs, or ‘armored dinosaurs’.

Sauropelta was a medium-sized herbivore that reached about 17 feet long. It had a small beaked head, a long tail, and walked on all fours. It had five fingers and four toes. Most notably it had an impressive covering of armor that consisted of bony plates on the back, hips, and tail, a row of triangular spine-like projections along its flanks, and large pointed spines on its neck which you can see on this Sauropelta toy.