Discover the Armored Dinosaur from Morocco: A Spiky Marvel of Prehistoric Times!

Around 165 million years ago, one of the most fascinating dinosaurs roamed a coastal area that is now part of Morocco. This dinosaur, called Spicomellus, was one of the first armored dinosaurs. It was about 13 feet long and weighed between one to two tons. Researchers recently uncovered its fossils in the Atlas Mountains, close to Boulemane.

Spicomellus stood out with its unique armor. Richard Butler, a paleontologist at the University of Birmingham, said, “Its armor is jaw-droppingly weird. No other dinosaur—or any animal, for that matter—had anything like it.” The armor featured long, sharp spikes on its ribs and spines that jutted out like golf clubs around its neck.

Experts believe this extravagant armor might have served two purposes: protecting Spicomellus from predators and attracting mates. Butler noted that while some spikes likely served a defensive role, their sheer size may have been impractical in nature. This raises questions about how Spicomellus even used them for protection.

In the animal world today, features that seem excessive often have a role in courtship or territorial displays, like the colorful tail of a peacock or the antlers of a deer. Susannah Maidment, leading the study, explained that such noticeable features might have evolved to attract mates or compete with others for them.

The fossils, though incomplete—with the head missing—helped researchers piece together a clearer image of Spicomellus. Previously, only a rib fragment had been found in 2021.

The spinal structure of Spicomellus reveals it likely had a defensive weapon at the end of its tail. Previous findings suggest that similar tail weapons appeared in ankylosaurs about 30 million years later than Spicomellus. This makes Spicomellus unique, as it combines features from both early and later armored dinosaurs.

Ankylosaurs were among the most successful herbivorous dinosaurs. They thrived alongside another group, the stegosaurs, well into the Cretaceous Period when an asteroid ultimately led to their extinction. The most famous ankylosaur, Ankylosaurus, was larger than Spicomellus and lived in North America, equipped with formidable armor for defense.

Interestingly, Spicomellus shows that early members of a species can have complex traits. Butler remarked that Spicomellus possessed more elaborate armor than later ankylosaurs, hinting at evolutionary pressures that may have compelled changes in their defense strategies.

This discovery opens the door to understanding not just Spicomellus, but the broader picture of how dinosaurs evolved and adapted in response to their environments.

For more on dinosaur evolution, you can read the full study here.

Source link