A dinosaur dubbed one of the “strangest” ever had elaborate armour of long bony spikes and a tail weapon, according to findings published in the science journal Nature.
Spicomellus, which roamed the earth 165 million years ago, is the world’s oldest ankylosaur. This is a group of plant-eating dinosaurs known for their tank-like bodies.
Palaeontologists’ image of Spicomellus was based on a single rib bone found in Morocco in 2019.
But newly discovered remains have helped scientists form a clearer picture of the unusual dinosaur.
The fossils showed it had bony spikes fused onto all of its ribs. This had never been seen before in any other vertebrate species, living or extinct, according to the research published in August.
Richard Butler called the fossils “an incredibly significant discovery”. He is a professor at the University of Birmingham and led the project.
“Spicomellus is one of the strangest dinosaurs that we’ve ever discovered,” he said.
Professor Susannah Maidment of London’s Natural History Museum said the armour evolved initially for protection. Later, the dinosaurs probably used it to attract mates and show off to rivals.
She said that Spicomellus had lots of different types of plates and spikes all over its body. Its back was covered in short spikes. It had a bony collar with plates and two pairs of spikes projecting outward above the neck. It also had two large outward-projecting spikes above its hips.
“We’ve never seen anything like this in any animal before,” Maidment said.
Questions
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How long ago did Spicomellus live?
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What were ankylosaurs known for?
