125-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur with Unique Hollow Spikes Found

Paleontologists have unearthed a juvenile iguanodontian dinosaur in China, introducing a new species to the known groups. This dinosaur, named Haolong dongi, features highly unusual hollow spikes along its body—structures previously undocumented in the dinosaur lineage. The spikes could have functioned as defense mechanisms or contributed to thermoregulation and sensory perception. This significant discovery, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, highlights the diverse and innovative nature of dinosaur integuments, reshaping our understanding of their biology.