Spicomellus — artistic reconstruction

Jurassic

Spicomellus

Spicomellus afer

The catalogue presents Spicomellus as a herbivore member of Ankylosauria indet. that lived during the Jurassic, between 168.3–166.1 Ma. Its estimated range is 3.0–4.0 m in length and 300–500 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Tiourarén Formation, Morocco. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.

Herbivore168.3–166.1 MaAnkylosauria indet.

Evidence-backed summary

For Spicomellus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Maidment et al. (2021).

The PBDB places it in Ankylosauria, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Ankylosauria indet..

In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Bathonian to the Callovian.

The PBDB catalogues 1 occurrence, with material from the El Mers III Formation (1). Provenance: Morocco.

The catalogue records the type locality as “Tiourarén Formation, Morocco”.

  • Tiourarén Formation, Morocco

The catalogue's reference measurements are 3.0–4.0 m in length and 300–500 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.

  • 3.0-4.0 m
  • 300-500 kg

The record gathers 1 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.

Records compiled on 2026-08-08

Where it lived

Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.

Present-day map1 PBDB
El Mers III
PBDB occurrences
Map at the time · ~165 Ma1 PBDB
El Mers III
PBDB occurrences
Present mean latitude33.2° N
Reconstructed mean latitude22.7° N

Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.

Paleobiology Database · GPlates · CC BY 4.0

Artistic 3D reconstruction

There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.

Physical Specifications

Length
3.0–4.0 m
Weight
300–500 kg
Period
Jurassic
Time range
168.3–166.1 Ma

Discovery Information

First Discovery
1999
Described by
Pereda Suberbiola et al.

Taxonomic Classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Ornithischia
Family
Ankylosauria indet.
Genus
Spicomellus
Species
S. afer

Paleobiology Database · txn:443991

Data status

Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.

Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.

Type specimen
not documented in this catalogue
Type locality
Tiourarén Formation, Morocco