Spicomellus afer

† Spicomellus afer is a Middle Jurassic ankylosaur from Morocco, one of the earliest known armored dinosaurs from Africa. Its dermal armor spines represent an archaic form of thyreophoran defense in a time when ankylosaurs were rare in Gondwana.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Spicomellus afer was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Jurassic Middle Mesozoic Era

Spicomellus afer lived during the Jurassic Middle period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 174,7 to 161,5 million years ago.

Dinosaur diversity continued to increase, with the evolution of large sauropods and diverse theropods. Stegosaurs first appeared, and the supercontinent Pangaea was breaking apart.