20 November 2023
For many who love dinosaurs, Stegosaurs are a recognizable favourite. Those plant-eating armored animals wore rows of raised plates on their backs and spiky tails to give protection to them from the carnivores, particularly the Allosaurus, a theropod ancestor of contemporary day birds.
When threatened, the Stegosaur swung its tail to batter its attacker with the spikes.
This show on the Denver Museum of Nature and Science presentations an Allosaur in a position to chunk a Stegosaur whilst two Stegosaur younger run underneath her. Glance carefully within the background and you’ll see that the top of her tail — the spikes — are out of sight as they swing on the Alloasaur’s again.
When paleontologists had been confused via a hollow on this Allosaur vertebrae (at left) they discovered {that a} Stegosaur spike suits the opening (at proper). Bone piercing bone in actual time. Ouch!
The association of the tail spikes had no identify till “Kenneth Chippie, then a paleontologist on the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, used the time period when describing a fossil on the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Assembly in 1993.” — quote from Wikipedia.
The identify got here from a A ways Facet cool animated film in 1982 when Gary Larson invented it as a shaggy dog story. “Now, this finish is named the thagomizer … after the overdue Thag Simmons.”
The identify stuck on and is now reputable.
A thagomizer is the unique association of 4 spikes at the tails of stegosaurian dinosaurs. Those spikes are believed to had been a defensive measure in opposition to predators.
The remainder is historical past.
Be careful for that thagomizer!
(credit are within the captions. Tip of the hat to Jonathan Nadle who instructed me concerning the thagomizer.)