D. clavicaudatus inhabited woodlands and grasslands and was herbivorous. Its tail club was probably used in intraspecific conflict rather than defense against predators like Smilodon unlike the superficially similar club of the Ankylosaurs. For one thing, the latter use would have been difficult since the animal's field of vision was so limited that it would essentially have had to blindly thrash the tail club. In addition, carapaces have been found which show fractures that were produced by roughly the same amount of energy as could be produced by the tail muscles