This bizarre, giant dinosaur had the shape of a... hedgehog.

Among the dinosaurs known to humankind, Augustinia is considered one of the strangest-looking. The appearance of Augustinia would astonish many, as it looks like the product of a cross between a long-necked dinosaur and a. hedgehog.

The back of the dinosaur Augustinia was covered by a row of sharp spines protruding on either side.

Measuring 15 meters in length, Augustinia had the typical skeleton of a long-necked, herbivorous dinosaur. However, it differed significantly from its relatives in the armor-like bony plates, known as bony scales, on its sides.

In particular, its back was covered by a row of sharp spines protruding to either side, some of which stretched up to 75 cm, a record length for a bony spine in the dinosaur world. Augustinia may also have had bony spines on its neck and tail, although there are no complete fossil specimens to prove this.

The Augustinian dinosaur fossil was first discovered in Argentina in 1999. Analyses suggest that this species lived during the early Cretaceous period, approximately 140 million years ago. Scientists believe that if a complete Augustinian fossil were discovered, this dinosaur might have looked even stranger than what we know today.