Thagomizer

A thagomizer is the arrangement of spike-shaped osteoderms on the tails of some stegosaurian dinosaurs. The spikes are believed to have served as a defense against predators. Cartoonist Gary Larson coined the name in 1982 as a joke in his comic strip The Far Side. It was later adopted as an informal term in some scientific circles, research, and education.

Location

Tails of some stegosaurian dinosaurs

Proposed function

Defense against predators

Name origin

Coined by Gary Larson in 1982