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Thagomizer
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<p>A thagomizer is the distinctive arrangement of spike-shaped <a href="/facts/Osteoderm/DLYoxQ7x">osteoderms</a> on the tails of some <a href="/facts/Stegosauria/vLTt2MS1">stegosaurian</a> dinosaurs. These spikes are believed to have been a defensive measure against predators. </p><p>The arrangement of spikes originally had no distinct name. Cartoonist <a href="/facts/Gary_Larson/Sn8cgkpG">Gary Larson</a> invented the name "thagomizer" in 1982 as a joke in his comic strip <i><a href="/facts/The_Far_Side/TIdXQ8xT">The Far Side</a></i>, and it was gradually adopted as an informal term sometimes used within scientific circles, research, and education. </p>