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(CNN) -
A new species of armored dinosaur discovered in Chile had a weapon-like tail that had not been seen before on any other dinosaur.
Measuring about two meters in size, the small armored dinosaur called ankylosaurus dates to the late Cretaceous period, between 71.7 and 74.9 million years ago.
Its fossilized skeleton, practically complete, was found in the province of Magallanes, in Patagonia, the southernmost region of Chile.
(Artist's impression of a new species of armored dinosaur called Stegouros elengassen. Paleoartist credit: Mauricio Álvarez)
The dinosaur, named "Stegouros elengassen", had developed a large tail weapon, unlike those seen in other armored dinosaurs, such as the paired spikes of the "Stegosaurus" and the club-shaped tail of the "Ankylosaurus."
While its skull shared features in common with other ankylosaurs, its tail weaponry was "strange," according to the study, which was published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
The dinosaur's tail had seven pairs of bony deposits flattened and fused into a fern-like structure.
"The tail is extremely strange, since it is short for a dinosaur and the posterior half is lined with dermal bones (bones that grow in the skin) forming a unique (tail) weapon," said Sergio Soto Acuña, lead author of the study. and a doctoral student at the University of Chile, via email.
Chilean paleontologist Sergio Soto was the lead author of the study.
Soto said it resembled the tail of a rattlesnake or spiny-tailed lizard.
But unlike these creatures, the dinosaur had real bones under the scales.
The most similar feature would be the tail of a giant armadillo, but they are also extinct, he added.
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Stegouros, which means "roofed tail" in Greek and "elenggassen" is from Aonikenk, the language of the original inhabitants of Patagonia, and refers to an armored mythological beast.
The fossil was found in 2018.
This impressive paleoart shows how dinosaurs look real
The study noted that very few ankylosaurs had been found from southern Gondwana, the lower part of the ancient supercontinent Pangea.
"Unlike the ankylosaurs of the northern hemisphere, our new dinosaur has light armor, thin legs and a smaller size," he said.
The fossil plants discovered in the same region indicate that the climate was warmer when this dinosaur inhabited the place, very different from the current cold climate that prevails in Patagonia.
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