Ancient Dinosaur 'Spicomellus afer' found with metre-long spikes

Scientists have discovered a bizarre armoured dinosaur “punk-dock” that has got everyone buzzing.

The 165 million years old creature was discovered in Morocco Atlas Mountains, called Spicomellus afer. The research has been published in the Journal Nature.

Punk-dock is a sub-culture and music style that first emerged in the 1970s and it’s often had spiky hair and accessories.

A professor at the Natural History Museum, Prof Butler, who is the project co-leader thinks, the discovery is “one of the strangest dinosaurs ever discovered”.

Another co-leader of the project, Prof Susannah Maidment views this new discovery that might force a rethink of theories on how ankylosaurs have evolved over the time.

"It’s absolutely covered in really weird spikes and protrusions all over the back of the animal, including a bony collar that wraps around its neck and some sort of weapon on the end of its tail, so a most unusual dinosaur,” she said.

Africa’s first Ankylosaur: A Jaw-dropping discovery

These animals survived well into the Cretaceous period, a time when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, spanning from 145 to 66 million years ago.

New research suggests that ankylosaurs like Spicomellus afer, might have actually started with elaborate armor that later evolved to become more functional.

This challenges the previous assumption that ankylosaurs began with simple armor plates that became more extensive over time to protect themselves from predators like the Tyrannosaurus rex.

A local farmer in Boulemane, Morocco, discovered the fossils. It was the first ankylosaur to be found on the African continent. Prof. Butler recalls the moment when he first saw the fossils, saying “It was a jaw dropping, spine-tingling moment.”

While, Prof Driss Ouarhache, who led the Moroccan team involved in the research, said: “This study is helping to drive forward Moroccan science. We’ve never seen dinosaurs like this before, and there’s still a lot more this region has to offer.”