Gigantspinosaurus sichuanensis was an early stegosaur that lived during the mid-Jurassic, about 166 million years ago, in what is now southwestern China.
Around 4.5m long (~14’9″), it had relatively small back plates and a pair of enormous shoulder spikes. It’s unclear exactly how the shoulder spines were positioned in life, but based on how they were found articulated in a fairly complete skeleton they seem to have swept sideways and backwards, protecting Gigantspinosaurus’ flanks.
Skin impressions show a mosaic of polygonal scales with scattered “rosettes” made up of larger scales surrounded by a ring of smaller scales, with a rough ridged surface texture that may have reduced light glare – suggesting an overall more matte appearance rather than glossy.
The thigh bones of one specimen are pathological, showing evidence that these dinosaurs sometimes suffered from bone tumors.
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