A dinosaur that roamed modern-day Morocco more than 165 million years ago had a neck covered in three-foot long spikes, a weapon on its tail and bony body armor, according to researchers who unearthed the curious beast's remains.

The discovery of the animal Spicomellus in the Moroccan town of Boulemane painted a clearer picture of the bizarre, spiked ankylosaur, which was first described in 2021 based on the discovery of a single rib bone.

Researchers now understand that the four-legged herbivore, which was about the size of a small car , was much more elaborately armored than originally believed, according to research published last month in the journal Nature .

"Spicomellus had a diversity of plates and spikes extending from all over its body, including metre-long neck spike

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