Carlos Solis
A team of paleontologists from the Natural History Museum in London and the University of Birmingham (UK) has described an ankylosaur with some of the most extreme adornments ever seen in vertebrates — even among ankylosaurs.
Spicomellus afer, which lived in the Middle Jurassic more than 165 million years ago, was literally covered in spikes.
“Throughout my career, I have worked with armored dinosaurs, but I have never seen anything like this,” said paleontologist Suzanna Maidment from the Natural History Museum in an interview with Science Alert.
“It had numerous spikes of different shapes and sizes. Some were interconnected, forming complex structures. There were also several rib spikes, teardrop-shaped plate spikes, and a whole bunch of things I couldn’t even identify. And I was particularly struck by the collar with meter-long spikes protruding from its neck,” the scientist described the prehistoric creature.
What are ankylosaurs?
These are some of the most charismatic monsters that once roamed our planet. Their thick bodies, covered with heavy bony plates, protrusions, and spikes, suggest dramatic battles in which ankylosaurs defended themselves from predators.
A vivid representation of Spicomellus afer comes from one of the most remarkable ankylosaur fossils ever found, featuring a beautifully preserved armored back.
Spicomellus is the oldest known ankylosaur, a group that reached its peak during the Cretaceous period. Previously, the species was known only from a single fragmented rib bone found in Morocco and described in 2021.
However, that bone was just the first hint of ankylosaurs in this North African country. In 2023, a local farmer reported the discovery of several unusual bones that he had rescued from a flood. Researchers responded to the call, went to the farm, and began studying and excavating the bones. What the paleontologists ultimately found astonished them.
“It was immediately clear these were something incredibly strange. The fossils were stunning,” said paleontologist Richard Butler from the University of Birmingham. As the team unearthed more fossils, the remains looked increasingly bizarre.
Spicomellus was “spikier than an introvert with a drained social battery,” the scientists joked. It was literally covered in bony protrusions. The true pride of the ankylosaur was its armored shield, from which large spikes projected. Its neck was adorned with a collar of long spikes.
Until now, researchers tended to think ankylosaur armor was mainly for defense. But the new fossils suggest that some of these structures were too cumbersome to be purely practical. Maidment said the armor “could have been used more for display than for defense.”
The team suggested there may have been other ankylosaurs with exceptionally sharp spikes that haven’t been discovered yet. Those finds could help fill gaps in our knowledge about Spicomellus and the ankylosaurs that appeared later on Earth.
“Our team will continue to explore the fascinating ecosystem in the Middle Atlas Mountains (Morocco). We hope to uncover many more strange dinosaurs and perhaps even another Spicomellus. It would be amazing to find its skull!” Maidment said of their plans.
The research results were published in the journal Nature.
