Overview

• New fossils from Middle Jurassic rocks near Boulemane, Morocco, establish Spicomellus afer as the earliest known ankylosaur and the first identified on the African continent.
• The animal bore a unique bony collar with neck spikes about 87 centimeters long and had spikes fused to all ribs, a morphology unknown in any other vertebrate.
• Fused tail vertebrae indicate a club-like weapon, pushing the origin of ankylosaur tail weaponry more than 30 million years earlier than previously documented.
• Researchers propose the extravagant armor likely served display functions such as courtship or rivalry signaling, contrasting with the more defensive armor of later ankylosaurs.
• The studied remains were prepared and are curated in Fez through a UK–Moroccan collaboration, as scientists report fossil trading and poaching concerns and plan further fieldwork at the site.