‘Punk Rock’ Dinosaur with Metre-Long Spikes Unearthed in Morocco
A 165-million-year-old armoured dinosaur with metre-long neck spikes, the earliest known ankylosaur, has been uncovered, prompting scientists to rethink early dinosaur armour evolution.
Researchers have identified a bizarre armoured dinosaur species, Spicomellus afer, boasting metre-long spikes protruding from its neck. Dating back 165 million years, it represents the oldest ankylosaur discovered to date.
Unexpected Armour Complexity
Found in Morocco, the specimen’s elaborate spines shocked paleontologists. University of Birmingham’s Prof Richard Butler, a co-leader of the project, likened it to the “punk rocker” of its era for its dramatic ornamentation.
Prof Susannah Maidment of London’s Natural History Museum noted that the spikes are fused directly to the bone, a feature unseen in any other known species.
Rewriting Dinosaur Defence Theories
Previously, scientists believed early ankylosaurs sported simple armour plates that gradually became more extensive to fend off Cretaceous predators like Tyrannosaurus rex. However, Spicomellus challenges that view by exhibiting advanced, hedgehog-like spines at its earliest stage.
The team estimates the dinosaur measured around four metres long, one metre tall and weighed about two tonnes, though only partial remains have been recovered.
From Display to Defence?
Prof Maidment suggests these ornate structures may have served as display features before evolving into functional armour later in the Cretaceous, when larger predators with powerful bites appeared.
The fossils were originally discovered by a local farmer near Boulemane, marking the first ankylosaur find in Africa. Prof Butler recalled the “jaw-dropping, spine-tingling” moment he realized its uniqueness.
Prof Driss Ouarhache of Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah emphasized the discovery’s importance for Moroccan science and hinted at further surprises in the region.
The study appears in the journal Nature.
This discovery of the 165-million-year-old Spicomellus afer, bristling with metre-long neck spikes, challenges previous ideas of how early armoured dinosaurs evolved.
This topic was reported by BBC.
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