Palaeontologists have discovered the oldest known fossil of an ankylosaur, a tank-like dinosaur, in Morocco. The specimen, named Spicomellus afer, dates back 165 million years and was found near the central town of Boulemane.
Spicomellus afer was about four metres long and weighed around two tonnes. Its body was covered in extravagant armour, including a collar of spikes as long as golf clubs and smaller spikes projecting from its ribs. The fossil's tail is missing, but fused vertebrae suggest it ended in a club-like structure used as a weapon.
Professor Richard Butler of the University of Birmingham, co-lead of the project, described the dinosaur as 'absolutely bristling with spikes'. He noted that the neck collar was 'enormous and totally out of proportion' to the rest of the body. The researchers believe the spikes may have been used for dominance or mating displays rather than just defence.
The discovery challenges existing theories about ankylosaur evolution, suggesting that tail weaponry evolved around 30 million years earlier than previously thought. However, the study was hampered by fossil poaching; parts of the same specimen have been sold online for up to £10,000, according to Butler.
