“Punk Rock” Dinosaur Spicomellus: Morocco’s Meter-Long Spiked Enigma Rewrites Ankylosaur History

In a jaw-dropping paleontological reveal that has experts calling it the “weirdest dinosaur ever,” scientists have unveiled new fossils of Spicomellus afer—a 165-million-year-old armored ankylosaur from Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains. Dubbed the ultimate “punk rock” dinosaur for its outrageous, meter-long spikes fused directly to its bones, this creature is the oldest known ankylosaur and the first discovered on the African continent.

Led by Dr. Susannah Maidment of London’s Natural History Museum, the team described the expanded specimen in a landmark 2025 Nature paper. Found near Boulemane in the El Mers III Formation, the fossils include ribs sprouting outward-projecting spikes—a feature never seen in any vertebrate, living or extinct—plus a diverse array of plates, shoulder spikes, hip projections, and a tail with “handle” vertebrae indicating an early tail club weapon.

At roughly 4 meters (13 feet) long and 1–2 tons, Spicomellus roamed Jurᴀssic wetlands on what was then Gondwana. Its extreme armor likely served dual purposes: defense against predators and flamboyant display for mating or rival intimidation. This discovery flips the script on ankylosaur evolution—elaborate spikes appeared far earlier than thought, with later species simplifying their defenses.

Originally named in 2021 from a single rib, the new material confirms its ankylosaur status and reveals anatomy “unlike anything else,” as Maidment put it. The find electrifies dinosaur science, proving Africa’s Jurᴀssic held bizarre treasures and forcing a rethink of how these tank-like herbivores evolved their iconic armor.

With reconstructions now dazzling museum visitors, Spicomellus afer—Latin for “African spiky collar”—stands as a spiky icon of prehistoric punk atтιтude, proving the past was far wilder than we imagined.