‘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

Tank-like physique, bristling with body armour and a collar of spikes the length of golf clubs, Spicomellus afer looks more like a Pokemon creation than a living creature. This bizarre dinosaur roamed the flood plains of what is now north Africa 165m years ago, palaeontologists have revealed.

The fossil, the oldest known ankylosaur specimen, was unearthed near the central Moroccan town of Boulemane. Its extravagant armour has confounded existing theories of how the ankylosaurs, a major group of plant-eating dinosaurs, evolved.