As scientists gradually uncovered a dinosaur in southern Argentina, they were surprised to find a horny mohawk rising up from the dinosaur's spine.
The dinosaur, now known as the herbivore Bajadasaurus pronuspinax, had two-feet-long spikes protruding from its back. They were likely similar to horns seen on modern-day antelopes with thick keratin covering the bone spikes.
The Bajadasaurus pronuspinax roamed Patagonia 14o million years ago in the Cretaceous. It belonged to the sauropod family, which were known to have long necks and tails. This specific dinosaur likely measured about 30 feet long.
The diagram below is an illustration of what the upper neck of the dinosaur may have looked like. It lived during the early Cretaceous, nearly 75 million years before the T. Rex.
The dinosaur's spikes were likely used to fend off predators and make it more difficult and deterring to attack. The sharp spikes, creating a mohawk along the dinosaur's back are long and thin enough that they would have likely been surrounded by keratin in order to not break off during an attack.
While the most likely purpose of the spikes was a defense mechanism, experts say that they may have been used to regulate the dinosaur's body temperature, as a mating display, or to store water in the tissue surrounding the spikes much in the way camels store water in their hump.
This animal fed on ground plants but upward facing eyes and a spike mohawk allowed it to deter predators as it spent its days grazing.
The dinosaur was discovered in Bajada Colorada, a small town in southern Patagonia. Most of the skull and the entire spine was uncovered, allowing researchers the ability to better study the dinosaur specimen.
Much in the same way porcupines, puffer fish, and rose plants use spines to deter predators, this dinosaur likely made any predator think twice before attacking.
