Spicomellus
Spicomellus afer
Spicomellus is an extinct genus of unusual early ankylosaurian dinosaur from the El Mers III Formation (Bathonian age) of Morocco. The genus contains a single species, Spicomellus afer, representing the oldest named definitive ankylosaur. The species was initially described in 2021 based on a single rib with fused osteoderms, rendering its life appearance and relationships uncertain. In 2025, several additional bones, including osteoderms and cranial and postcranial remains, were described, revealing that it bears a unique array of spines over the body, including extremely elongated spikes around the neck and pelvis. It likely had a tail weapon, making it the oldest known ankylosaur with this structure.
- Family
- Ankylosauria indet.
- Order
- Ornithischia
- Period
- Jurassic (168.3–166.1 Ma)
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Length
- 3.0–4.0 m
- Weight
- 300–500 kg
- Type locality
- Tiourarén Formation, Morocco
- PBDB
- txn:443991