dinosaur

SCIENTISTS have discovered that a “punk rocker” dinosaur had metre-long spikes pointing out of its neck to protect it from predators.

The discovery came as analysis of fossils of the Spicomellus – the world’s oldest ankylosaur – was conducted by researchers, uncovering its elaborate armour.

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The Spicomellus, referred to as one of the “strangest dinosaurs” to have ever lived, roamed the Earth around 165 million years ago and had bony spikes fused onto all of its ribs.

This ultra-rare feature has never been seen before in any other vertebrate species, living or extinct, according to scientists.

Ankylosaurs were a herbivorous group of dinosaurs known for their armoured, tank-like bodies and a club-shaped tail tip.

A team of palaeontologists recently discovered remains, helping to build on the original description of the animal, which was based on just one rib bone found near the town of Boulemane in Morocco, which was sold on to a researcher in 2019.

The new fossils revealed the dinosaur had spikes measuring 87 centimetres emerging from a bony collar around its neck.

These could have been even longer during the life of the Spicomellus, according to the research published in science journal Nature.

Professor Richard Butler, from the University of Birmingham and project co-lead, described the fossils as an “incredibly significant discovery.”

He said: “Spicomellus is one of the strangest dinosaurs that we’ve ever discovered.

“It’s utterly unlike any other found anywhere else in the world.

“I think it’s going to really capture the imagination of people around the world, and tell us a lot about the early evolution of the tank-like ankylosaurs.”

He also told the BBC that the dino was the “punk rocker” of its time, alluding to its spiky looks which resemble loyal punk rock fans who may don spiky hair.

Professor Susannah Maidment of Natural History Museum, London, and the University of Birmingham, who co-led the team of researchers said the “absolutely bizarre” fossils were changing how scientists believe the armoured dinosaurs evolved.

She said: “When we originally named spicomellus, there were doubts that it was an ankylosaur at all.

“Now, not only can we confirm beyond a doubt that this interpretation was correct, but Africa’s only known ankylosaur is far weirder than anyone imagined.”

She added: “Spicomellus had a diversity of plates and spikes extending from all over its body, including metre-long neck spikes, huge upwards-projecting spikes over the hips, and a whole range of long, blade-like spikes, pieces of armour made up of two long spikes, and plates down the shoulder.

“We’ve never seen anything like this in any animal before.”

Professor Maidment said that while it is likely the armour evolved initially for defence purposes, it was probably used later to attract mates and show off to rivals.

The discovery of the spicomellus species was made after Professor Maidment acquired a rib bone from a fossil dealer in Cambridge in 2019.

This comes after a new species of dog-sized dinosaurs was discovered.

The Maleriraptor kuttyi is thought to be one of the earliest killer dinosaurs in history.

The now-extinct dinosaur is believed to have lived some 220 million years ago – during the Triassic period.

The small but mighty beast could grow to a height of 3.2 feet and a length of 6.5 feet – about the size of a large-breed dog such as a Great Dane.

And the creature was one of the earliest known carnivorous dinosaurs, along with the rest of the Herrerasauria family.

Dr. Martín Ezcurra from the Argentina’s Natural Science museum said: “Herrerasaurs represent the oldest radiation of predatory dinosaurs.”

The fossilised dinosaur bones were discovered more than in Telangana, India, forty years ago.

But only now have scientists identified exactly what species these bones belonged to.

Herrerasauria fossils were previously found in South and North America.

But the new bombshell discovery has proved that the creatures roamed far more of the Earth than previously thought.

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A NEW dog-sized dinosaur species that roamed the Earth 220 million years ago has been discovered.

The Maleriraptor kuttyi is thought to be one of the earliest killer dinosaurs in history.

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The now-extinct dinosaur is believed to have lived some 220 million years ago – during the Triassic period.

The small but mighty beast could grow to a height of 3.2 feet and a length of 6.5 feet – about the size of a large-breed dog such as a Great Dane.

And the creature was one of the earliest known carnivorous dinosaurs, along with the rest of the Herrerasauria family.

Dr. Martín Ezcurra from the Argentina’s Natural Science museum said: “Herrerasaurs represent the oldest radiation of predatory dinosaurs.”

The fossilised dinosaur bones were discovered more than in Telangana, India forty years ago.

But only now have scientists identified exactly what species these bones belonged to.

Herrerasauria fossils were previously found in South and North America.

But the new bombshell discovery has proved that the creatures roamed far more of the Earth than previously thought.

And the dinosaurs in India are believed to have outlived those elsewhere.

Scientists believe this might be because India had a similar climate to South America during the Triassic period.

This comes after a giant horned dinosaur species was unearthed in Egypt.

The predatory dinosaur species, named Tameryraptor markgrafi, was originally discovered in 1914 by Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach who died in 1952.

The 95million-year-old skeleton was excavated in the Bahariya Oasis in Egypt before it was stored in the Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology in Munich, Germany.

But the remains were destroyed along with other Egyptian discoveries when Munich was bombed in World War Two.

Tragically the only remnants of the dinosaur discovery were Dr Stromer’s notes, illustrations of the bones and black and white photographs of the skeletons.

But Dr Stromer’s records have now been reanalysed in a new study.

Maximilian Kellermann, the study’s first author said: “What we saw in the historical images surprised us all.

“The Egyptian dinosaur fossil depicted there differs significantly from more recent Carcharodontosaurus found in Morocco.”

More than 30 years and six movies later, the “Jurassic” universe is expanding again with “Jurassic World Rebirth.”

Starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, the movie — directed by Gareth Edwards — picks up five years after the last installment, “Jurassic World Dominion,” which was toplined by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. The previous movie also featured the series’ original stars, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill.

In a short clip released by Universal Pictures on Tuesday, Johansson and Bailey stare at an unseen creature — only a dinosaur’s tail was teased in the brief video that was marked with the tagline, “Something is coming.” The full trailer, which dropped Wednesday morning, offered a better look at the daunting creatures.

Johansson and the new crew are on a mission to collect DNA samples from three dinos across land, sea and sky. The environment has now become essentially inhospitable to most dinosaurs, but the three creatures they’re searching for have managed to survive — and their DNA contains the key to a drug that would be lifesaving for humans too.

Mahershala Ali plays Duncan Kincaid in “Jurassic World Rebirth,” directed by Gareth Edwards.

(Jasin Boland / Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment)

Johansson’s character, Zora Bennett, is a covert operations expert tasked with guiding the group through its mission, and she works closely with Ali’s character, team leader Duncan Kincaid. Bailey plays paleontologist Henry Loomis.

The cast is rounded out by Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda.

The upcoming installment promises to usher the series into “an ingenious new direction,” per the film’s logline, but it will also stay true to the series’ core, with original “Jurassic Park” screenwriter David Koepp penning the script. Steven Spielberg is also serving as an executive producer alongside several “Jurassic” alums.

The three previous “Jurassic World” films were box office hits, each hauling over $1 billion worldwide. “Rebirth” hits theaters July 2.

A GIANT horned dinosaur species has been unearthed – despite the bones’ destruction in World War Two.

The groundbreaking discovery of the 10-metre-long skeleton was made after paleontologists dug through photographic archives.

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The predatory dinosaur species, named Tameryraptor markgrafi, was originally discovered in 1914 by Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach who died in 1952.

The 95million-year-old skeleton was excavated in the Bahariya Oasis in Egypt before it was stored in the Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology in Munich, Germany.

The findings suggest there were more species of dinosaurs in North Africa than historians previously thought.

The remains were destroyed along with other Egyptian discoveries when Munich was bombed in World War Two.

Tragically the only remnants of the dinosaur discovery were Dr Stromer’s notes, illustrations of the bones and black and white photographs of the skeletons.

The photos show parts of the dinosaur’s skull, spine and legs.

Maximilian Kellermann, the study’s first author said: “What we saw in the historical images surprised us all.

“The Egyptian dinosaur fossil depicted there differs significantly from more recent Carcharodontosaurus found in Morocco.”

“Stromer’s original classification was thus incorrect. We identified a completely different, previously unknown predatory dinosaur species here and named it Tameryraptor markgrafi,” he added.

The word “Tamery” is the ancient name for Egypt and the species name “markgrafi” is a nod to Dr Stromer’s fossil collector Richard Markgraf who performed the excavation.

The dinosaur had symmetrical teeth, tiny eyes and a little rounded horn on the bridge of its nose.

“This work shows that it can be worthwhile for paleontologists to dig not only in the ground, but also in old archives,” said Oliver Rauhut, another author of the study.

This comes after experts uncovered the UK’s biggest dinosaur highway in Oxfordshire.

Around 200 different prehistoric footprints dating back 166million years were found in the quarry.

The extraordinary site was unearthed after a quarry worker felt “unusual bumps” as he was stripping the clay back with his vehicle.

Scientists were called in to investigate and discovered five extensive trackways – and there’s evidence of more in the surrounding area.

The longest is 150 metres but they could go on much further.

“These footprints offer an extraordinary window into the lives of dinosaurs, revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment they inhabited,” said Professor Kirsty Edgar, from the University of Birmingham.

Dr Duncan Murdock, Earth Scientist from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, added: “The preservation is so detailed that we can see how the mud was deformed as the dinosaur’s feet squelched in and out.

“Along with other fossils like burrows, shells and plants we can bring to life the muddy lagoon environment the dinosaurs walked through.”

Among the site are footprints belonging to the nine metre-long ferocious predator Megalosaurus, which had huge distinctive, three-toed feet with claws.

The Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to ever be named back in 1824.

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