thagomizer
Sign in to saveAlso known as tail spike
thumb|Thagomizer on a mounted Stegosaurus tail A thagomizer () is the distinctive arrangement of spike-shaped osteoderms on the tails of some stegosaurian dinosaurs. These spikes are believed to have been a defensive measure against predators.
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- Thagomizer on tail of Stegosaurus at AMNH in NYC.png
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7 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Paleobiology
- Other uses
- Mathematics
- Molecular biology
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thumb|Thagomizer on a mounted Stegosaurus tail A thagomizer () is the distinctive arrangement of spike-shaped osteoderms on the tails of some stegosaurian dinosaurs. These spikes are believed to have been a defensive measure against predators.
The arrangement of spikes originally had no distinct name. Cartoonist Gary Larson invented the name "thagomizer" in 1982 as a joke in his comic strip The Far Side, and it was gradually adopted as an informal term sometimes used within scientific circles, research, and education.