LONDON, United Kingdom — A dinosaur dubbed one of the "strangest" ever boasted an elaborate armoury of long bony spikes and a tail weapon, according to findings published in the science journal Nature.

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.

Palaeontologists' 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, according to the research published 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.

'Strangest' dinosaur covered in spiked armory — Scientists

Professor Susannah Maidment of London's Natural History Museum said the armour evolved initially for defence purposes but was probably used later to attract mates and show off to rivals.

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"Spicomellus had a diversity of plates and spikes extending from all over its body, including metre-long neck spikes, huge upwards-projecting spikes over the hips, and a whole range of long, blade-like spikes, pieces of armour made up of two long spikes, and plates down the shoulder," she said.

"We've never seen anything like this in any animal before."