New species of armored dinosaur discovered in southwestern China

Paleontologists have described a new species of ankylosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. The fossil, recovered from the Shaximiao Formation, preserves extensive dermal armor and a partial skull. The discovery extends the known geographic range of early ankylosaurs and suggests that armor diversification occurred earlier than previously thought. Researchers used CT scanning to examine the internal structure of the osteoderms, revealing a unique arrangement of bone fibers that may have provided both defense and thermal regulation.