Mastodawn

Cosmic Librarian Aug 27, 2025

Spiked...

Bristling with spikes’: oldest known ankylosaur fossil found in Morocco

Extravagant armour and tail weaponry on Spicomellus afer fossil confound existing theories of how the species evolved

Spicomellus afer, now the earliest known example of the group, would have been around 4m in length and weighed around two tonnes. The fossil is missing the end of the tail, but fused vertebrae suggest that it would have culminated in a club-like structure, presumably used as a weapon to lash at rivals or predators. This suggests that adaptations for tail weaponry evolved around 30m years earlier than previously thought.

#dinosaur #spikes #ankylosaur #Morocco

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/aug/27/oldest-known-ankylosaur-fossil-found-in-morocco

‘Bristling with spikes’: oldest known ankylosaur fossil found in Morocco

Extravagant armour and tail weaponry on Spicomellus afer fossil confound existing theories of how the species evolved

The Guardian

Alberta Palaeo Society Jun 13, 2025

A new dinosaur ichnotaxon, Ruopodosaurus clava, has been named by Dr. Victoria Arbour and team. Found near Tumbler Ridge, BC, the tracks likely belong to an unknown ankylosaurid and are identified by having just three toes. This is a rare find that may shed light on the ankylosaurid hiatus in North America.

The full paper can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2025.2451319!

#palaeontology #paleontology #fossils #dinosaurs #ankylosaur #newpaper #bc #britishcolumbia
#ab #alberta