Fossils of ugly cow-sized reptile unearthed

A cow-sized reptile that may have been one of nature’s ugliest beasts roamed an isolated desert before the age of dinosaurs.

The creature’s genus name — bunostegos — means “knobby roof” and gives a clue to its appearance.

About the size of a domestic cow, the plant- eater had bulbous tumour- like growths sprouting from its head and bony armour down its back.