Dinosaur With Terrifying Spiked Armour Remains Unearthed

The remains of a new spiky species of dinosaur have been unearthed in southwestern China.

For most of us, the closest we'll get to seeing dinosaurs will be watching Jurassic Park or visiting a museum lucky enough to store a fossil – then again, if Elon Musk's business partner has his way, life could imitate art in the future.

Dinosaurs went extinct around 65 million years ago, yet palaeontologists are still uncovering never-before-seen fossils to this day. Case in point, the discovery of a thyreophoran in China.

An artist’s impression of how Yuxisaurus kopchicki may have looked. (Yu Chen)

As detailed in a study published in eLife, scientists led by the Natural History Museum in London were tasked with specifying the remains after they were unearthed in Yunnan Province, in southwestern China.

The record-breaking dino, named Yuxisaurus kopchicki, is said to be the earliest well-preserved armoured dinosaur found anywhere in Asia to date, part of the group that also includes Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus. It dates back to the Early Jurassic period around 174-192 million years ago.

The first part of the name refers to the site where the remains were discovered, while kopchicki is in reference to Dr John J. Kopchick, a molecular biologist who's made significant contributions to the field of biology and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  

The scientists came to their conclusion 'on the basis of an associated partial skeleton that includes skull, axial, limb and armour elements', the study notes.

Various parts of the Yuxisaurus kopchicki’s body were unearthed. (Xi Yao)

"This new taxon... represents the first valid thyreophoran dinosaur to be described from the Early Jurassic of Asia and confirms the rapid geographic spread and diversification of the clade after its first appearance in the Hettangian.

"Its heavy build and distinctive armour also hint at previously unrealised morphological diversity early in the clade's history."

Professor Paul Barrett, one of the main authors on the study, told the MailOnline: "Although we've had tantalising fragments of early armoured dinosaurs from Asia, this is the first time we've had enough material to recognise a new species from the region and investigate its evolutionary history. 

"I hope it's the first of many new dinosaurs from the localities being discovered by my colleagues in Yunnan."

The species had a rather striking build: heavy-set, equipped with distinctive spiked armour close to its head.

Dr Shundong Bi, another author on the paper, added: "Yuxisaurus was possibly a facultative quadrupedal. It was primarily adapted for walking on four legs, but also able to walk on two legs."

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