Dino card No. 1698 of 2,027

Spicomellus

Say it: SPY-co-MEL-lus

Name means: “spiked collar”1

Ate: PlantsArmoured dinosMiddle Jurassic

Spicomellus was an armoured dinosaur that walked on four legs and had a bulky body covered in spikes. It lived in Africa during the Middle Jurassic, about 167 to 163 million years ago, and was one of the earliest armoured dinosaurs ever found.1

Lived

168 to 162 million years ago6

Middle Jurassic

Fossils found in

Morocco, in the El Mers III Formation of the Middle Atlas Mountains1 6

Food

Plants1 6

Length

3 to 4 m1

estimated from partial skeleton

Weight

907 kg to 1.814 tonnes4

estimate

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 1 cars

as long as 4 dogs nose to tailas long as 22 bananas end to endas heavy as 60 big dogsas heavy as 360 watermelons

How big was Spicomellus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Spicomellus is the first and only ankylosaur ever found in Africa, and it is also the oldest ankylosaur known to science.1

Unlike most armoured dinosaurs, Spicomellus had spikes that fused directly to its rib bones. No other animal, living or extinct, has this feature.1 3

Its spikes were probably covered in keratin, the same substance that makes up your hair and fingernails, which would have made them even longer.1

Spicomellus had a bony 'handle' in its tail, a feature only seen in ankylosaurs that had a tail weapon. This suggests it had a spiked tail club, even though the weapon itself hasn't been found yet.1 2

Scientists used to think that tail weapons in ankylosaurs evolved only in the Cretaceous Period, but Spicomellus lived much earlier, in the Middle Jurassic. This shows that these features are older than expected.1 2

Spicomellus had a bony collar with metre-long spikes, which is why its name means 'spiked collar'.1

The spikes on its body may have been used for defence, but scientists think they were also used for display, to attract mates or compete with rivals.1 2

AI-made picture of Spicomellus — An AI-made picture of how Spicomellus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Spicomellus

?How big was Spicomellus?

About 4 metres (13 feet) long, which is around the size of a small car.1

?What did Spicomellus eat?

It was an herbivore, meaning it ate plants.1

?Did Spicomellus have a tail club?

Scientists think so. It had a bony 'handle' in its tail that is only seen in ankylosaurs with a tail weapon, but the weapon itself has not been found yet.1 5

?Where did Spicomellus live?

It lived in what is now Morocco, Africa. Back then, the area was a wetland with lots of plants to eat.1

?When did Spicomellus live?

It lived during the Middle Jurassic Period, about 167 to 163 million years ago.1

?Was Spicomellus a dinosaur?

Yes, it was an armoured dinosaur called an ankylosaur.1

?How fast could Spicomellus run?

Nobody knows for sure. It walked on four legs and had a bulky body, so it probably moved slowly.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Spicomellus was a slow, simple plant-eater with no special tricks.

Truth: Actually, Spicomellus had unique armour and a possible tail weapon, and its spikes may have been used for showing off as well as protection.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Spicomellus
Named by: Maidment et al. 20216
Group: Armoured dinos
Family / clade: Ankylosauria6
Classification: Ornithischia > Ankylosauria > Thyreophora6
Age of the rocks: 168 to 162 million years (Bathonian / Callovian)6
Rock formations: El Mers III6
Countries: Morocco6
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database6
Discovery: Spicomellus was named by Maidment and colleagues in 2021, based on a partial skeleton from Morocco. The first fossil was a rib with spikes, and later more bones were found, including a bony collar.1 3
Still debated: Scientists are still debating exactly how Spicomellus is related to other ankylosaurs, and whether its tail weapon was a club or just spikes.2

Where the facts come from

Spicomellus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Extreme armour in the world’s oldest ankylosaur | Nature (nature.com)
Bizarre dermal armour suggests the first African ankylosaur | Nature Ecology & Evolution (nature.com)
'Jaw-droppingly weird' dinosaur from Morocco was studded with spikes | Reuters (reuters.com)
Spicomellus (en.wikipedia.org)
Spicomellus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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