(UPDATE) LONDON — A dinosaur dubbed one of the “strangest” ever boasted an elaborate armory of long bony spikes and a tail weapon, according to findings published in the science journal Nature.

'Strangest' dinosaur covered in spiked armory – scientists

Spicomellus, which roamed the earth 165 million years ago, is the world’s oldest ankylosaur, a herbivorous group of dinosaurs known for their tank-like bodies.

Paleontologists’ image of Spicomellus was based on a single rib bone found in Morocco in 2019.

But newly discovered remains have helped scientists form a clearer picture of the unusual dinosaur.

The fossils showed it had bony spikes fused onto all of its ribs — something never seen before in any other vertebrate species living or extinct, said research published on Wednesday.

Richard Butler, a professor at the University of Birmingham and the project co-lead, called the fossils an “incredibly significant discovery.”

“Spicomellus is one of the strangest dinosaurs that we’ve ever discovered,” he said.

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Susannah Maidment of London’s Natural History Museum said the armor evolved initially for defensive purposes, but was probably used later to attract mates and show off to rivals.

“Spicomellus had a diversity of plates and spikes extending from all over its body, including meter-long neck spikes; huge upward-projecting spikes over the hips; a whole range of long, blade-like spikes; pieces of armor made up of two long spikes; and plates down the shoulder,” she said.

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