Oldest Ankylosaurus & Unique Armor | Paleontology News

KOMPAS.com – Scientists have just revealed extraordinary findings from Morocco: Spicomellus aferthe oldest armored dinosaurs (ankylosaurus) ever found in the world. This species lived around 168 million years ago in the middle Jura period, long before Ankylosaurus other famous dominating lime era.

This discovery not only adds to the list of dinosaur species, but also changes our perspective on the evolution of Ankylosaurus.

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Mysterious fossils that change history

Initially, existence Spicomellus afer It is only known from one fossil ribs found in 2021. However, recent research managed to find far more complete specimens.

“Seeing and studying fossils Spicomellus For the first time it really made goosebumps, “said Professor Richard Butler of the University of Birmingham.

“The shape is very strange, different from other dinosaurs, even from all the animals that have ever existed.”

The oddity lies in the dermal armor – a hard bone layer on his body. Spicomellus It turns out that it has a row of long bone thorns that blends with ribs, something that is not found in other vertebrates, both still alive or extinct.

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The most complicated armor in animal history

According to Professor Susannah Maidment from the Natural History of the London Museum, Spicomellus has an extraordinary defense system as well as “body decoration”:

• 1 meter long neck thorn
• Large thorns sticking out on the hips
• Sheet and thorns of a long knife on the shoulder
• Unique combination of plates and thorns in pairs

“We have never seen an armor like this in any animal before,” Maidment explained.

Which makes it more surprising, Spicomellus is the oldest Ankylosaurus. Logically, younger species should inherit similar armor, but the fact is they are not.

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From exhibition weapons to self -defense

The researchers suspect complicated thorns Spicomellus More functioning to show off, whether to attract partners or scare competitors. This is different from Ankylosaurus in the limestone era, which has a simpler armor and functions the main as a defense of large predators.

Interestingly, tail fossils Spicomellus shows the presence of bones that integrate to form “handle”, similar to Ankylosaurus Gada tailed in the future. This indicates that Ankylosaurus’s typical weapon features have appeared since the beginning of their evolution.

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The importance of Africa in the Map of Dinosaur Evolution

This discovery not only gave a new light to the history of Ankylosaurus, but also confirmed how important Africa was in dinosaur studies.

“Spicomellus shows how significant African dinosaurs are, “said Maidment.

The same thing was also expressed by Professor Driss Ouarhache from Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Morocco:

“We have never seen dinosaurs like this before, and this region still has many secrets.”

With a unique armor, potential tail weapon, and very old age, Spicomellus afer asserted that the typical adaptation of Ankylosaurus had evolved far earlier than the alleged scientist.

This discovery is also a reminder that fossils are not just past relics, but the key to opening the secrets of evolution.

Complete study of Spicomellus Published in the journal Nature, marking an important milestone in the world of paleontology.

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