Dinosaurs A to Z
Dinosauria

Spicomellus afer

"spike"

You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Spicomellus 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Middle Jurassic (174–163 Mya)
Place
Morocco
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Dinosauria The clade containing all dinosaurs, terrestrial archosaurs with upright limbs.
Spicomellus reconstruction by Connor Ashbridge
Reconstruction · Connor Ashbridge (CC-BY)

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.

What we know

  • Named by Maidment et al., 2021.
  • Fossils found in Morocco.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Spicomellus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.