Thagomizer: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:54, 7 September 2023

Revision as of 16:55, 7 September 2023

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{{short description|Spiked structure on the tails of dinosaurs of the family StegosauridaeStegosauria}}

[[File:Thagomizer.png|thumb|250px|right|alt=A cartoon of a group of cavemen. One points at a diagram of a dinosaur's tail with four spikes. The caption reads, "Now, this end is called the thagomizer...after the late Thag Simmons."|This ''[[The Far Side|Far Side]]'' cartoon is the source of the term ''thagomizer''.]]

[[File:Thagomizer.tif|thumb|Best evidence for the use of the thagomizer is this ''Allosaurus'' tail (caudal) vertebra showing a punctured [[process (anatomy)|process]]. The hole perfectly matches a thagomizer spike.<ref name="Carpenter Sanders"/>]]

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}}

A '''thagomizer''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|θ|æ|ɡ|ə|m|aɪ|z|ər}}) is the distinctive arrangement of four spikes on the tails of [[StegosauridaeStegosauria|stegosaurian]] dinosaurs. These spikes are believed to have been a defensive measure against predators.<ref>Holtz, T. R., (2000) "Classification and Evolution of the Dinosaur Groups" (pp. 140–168) in ''The Scientific American Book of Dinosaurs'', edited by [[Gregory S. Paul]], New York: St Martin's Press {{ISBN|0-312-26226-4}}.</ref><ref name="Carpenter Sanders">Carpenter, K., Sanders, F., McWhinney, L., and Wood, L. 2005. Evidence for predator-prey relationships: Example for ''Allosaurus'' and ''Stegosaurus''. Pp. 325-350 in Carpenter, K. (ed.) The Carnivorous Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press, Bloomington.</ref>

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.[[File:Thagomizer on tail of Stegosaurus at AMNH in NYC.png|thumb|right|A thagomizer on the tail of a Stegosaurus fossil]]