Armored dinosaur had a tail resembling an Aztec weapon

Scientists unearthed a new armored dinosaur

with a tail that resembles an Aztec battle weapon

Location: Magallanes Region, Chile

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) AZARA FOUNDATION PALAEONTOLOGIST, JONATAN KALUZA, SAYING:

"When we realized we had the posterior portion of the sacrum (bone) towards the legs and the tip of a complete and articulated tail, it led us to infer that we were dealing with a complete and novel animal."

The Stegouros elengassen was a four-legged plant-eating creature

Its back and sides were studded with bony structures

that served as a coat of armor

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) AZARA FOUNDATION PALAEONTOLOGIST, JONATAN KALUZA, SAYING:

"The profound difference with previous discoveries is that it enables us to fill in this animal's evolutionary history in South America, compared to its North American relatives. By studying them we can place them inside a lineage that is endemic to South America. But what distinguishes this specimen, in addition to it being complete, is its tail's spike."