What is a Thagomizer?
What is a Thagomizer?
Quite simply put a thagomizer is the informal name given to the spikes on a dinosaur’s tail.
Origin
For a very long time there was no real name for these spikes (typically 4-10 on a dinosaur tail, most notably the stegosaurus).
In 1982 that all changed when a cartoonist by the name of Gary Larson published a comic called “Far Side”. The cartoon contained an image showing both people and dinosaurs together. In the image students were being taught that the spikes were called a thagomizer – named after the late Thag Simmons, who had supposedly met his match when up against the spikes (which in and of itself is totally inaccurate – humans and dinosaurs have never co-existed).
Despite the inaccurate context and joke, the term stuck and has now been adopted by scientists and museums as an anatomical point of reference.
The spikes are thought to have a defensive purpose should the animal be in a fight. However, there is not significant evidence to support this entirely.
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That brought back memories! I loved dinosaurs as a child, and actually knew what a thagomizer what 🙂
glad you enjoyed it! 🙂