Spinosaurus: the spiny among the dinosaurs ⋆ Dinosaurworld.com (2023)

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One of the great Cretaceous dinosaurs was the speciesSpinosaurus aegyptiacus, whose name means “Prickly Lizard” because of their large dorsal fin.

Although now remains of a possible second species, calledSpinosaurus maroccanus, were found, it is assumed that both could belong to the same species.

TheSpinosaurusis commonly known assemi-aquatischer Theropod, with a crocodile-like skull and a large back candle.

A gigantic all-terrain carnivore, although it didn't always have this image, especially when its first remains were found.

Saurischia>Theropoda>Tetanurae>Megalosauridea>Spinosauridae>Spinosaurus>Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

But let's get to know this giant beast closer.

characteristics ofSpinosaurus

TheSpinosauruswas a theropod measuring between 12 and 15 meters in length, although some scientists estimate it could reach 18 meters and weigh between 4 and 6 tons.

The Spinosaurus is bigger than thatTyranosaurus Rex!

However, the most important and noticeable feature is thedorsal fin, with which she can reach a height of up to 4 meters!

What were Spinosaurus' legs like?

Studies on recent finds Remains of a sample fromSpinosaurusin Morocco suggest that the theropod is smallerhind legshad than originally assumed.

Legs that were highly evolved for swimming and would have acted as giant "oars" that would propel its body into the water, having a perfectly solid bone similar to that of today's waterfowl such as the penguin.

However, his hind legs could have carried his great weight on the ground perfectly, in addition to swimming. Although it is believed that he would not have made long runs to hunt his prey, as he does with aCarcharodontosauruswould have done.

In addition to the annotated leg bone that would help you swim, it was also discovered that thefoot structure(tarsus, metatarsal bones and phalanges) was longer than that of terrestrial theropods and also flatter.

This confirms thattheir legs had a characteristic more similar to that of semi-aquatic birds.

In fact, it's thought that a membrane similar to that of ducks might form between the toes of their legs. This would give them perfect displacement both in water and in the ground.

Spinosaurus tail

Another distinctive feature of Spinosaurus ishis tail, because heat least 55 vertebraehad that decreased in size as they reached the top, but with less difference.

The usual feature of the theropods is that they have between 40 and 50 vertebrae, descending constantly and symmetrically.

This finding suggests that the tail is both quitelangas well as was muscular; it could therefore have been used for propulsion in the water by being moved laterally in a manner similar to crocodiles.

Spinosaurus head

The Spinosaurus had oneskullsimilar to that of a crocodile from approx.2 Meters Long.

It has a jaw that fits perfectly under the palate so it was "hermetically closed" much like crocodiles. Although the nose of theSpinosaurusslightly curved downwards so that the prey cannot escape.

Initially, it was expected to have hard, curved, and serrated teeth, similar to those of other strong carnivores such asTyrannosaurus,CarcharodontosaurusorAllosaurus.

However, some wereconical, narrow and pointed teethFund, which is more common in fish eaters like thePteranodon, the relativeBaryonyxor the current crocodiles occur.

Another curiosity is that the teeth had different positions, some slightly forward and others backward.

The characteristics of its legs (which we have already commented on) and the arrangement of its teeth suggest that the Spinosaurus was an animal that was closer and better prepared for the aquatic environment than the terrestrial. Although, as we have already noted, it could be perfectly maintained in both environments.

Another very special feature of the head of theSpinosaurusis that theNostrils not at end of snoutlocated, but practically in front of the eyes.

In addition, recent studies have named a number of cavitiesforaminaFind connected to the nasal cavities so they could notice the changes in pressure and tension in the water caused by the movement of nearby animals.

It would be like a “sense of watery smell” telling them the estimated size of the animal, so they can deduce if it is prey or, on the contrary, if it is something dangerous to flee from .

While these forums were of great use to him, his nostrils were not very good at trapping scents, so his hunt focused on water.

It is also believed that he may have been a scavenger because remains ofIguanodonhave been found near some Spinosaurus specimens that use their size to intimidate smaller animals.

Spinosaurus dorsal fin

The most important and noticeable featureis the large dorsal fin, which is located on the back, is one meter high and theSpinosaurusgives a gigantic and terrifying aspect.

At first it was thought that it could be used for body thermoregulation, similar to thatDimetrodonit could have used.

But knowing that its prey was mostly aquatic, the idea was changed that this large dorsal fin could be used for swimming, so that it would control the direction and help to be more hydrodynamic.

Although it is also possible that it was very conspicuous because it was of different colors and could serve as a sexual attraction for women in the reproductive period.

But the latter doesn't stop being a mere guess.

Discovery and change ofSpinosaurus

The first remains ofSpinosauruswere found in Egypt, more precisely in 1910 in the Sahara by the German paleontologist Ernst Stromer, hence its special nameSpinosaurus aegytiacus. These remains were given to the museum in Munich, but unfortunatelythe museum was destroyed during World War II, with the remains inside.

These remains, found in 1915 and consisting of teeth, vertebrae, dental bones (jaw bones) and ribs, have not been entirely lost, however, as photographs and scale representations have survived and are still used today for size estimation and study, along with new remains ofSpinosauruswho will find.

Did you know….? In 1915 estimates and accounts, Spinosaurus was described as having a skull resembling that ofAllosaurusis similar.

This happened because they only had part of the jaw and some teeth and they represented it with the shape of the skull of the dinosaurs known up to that point.

It was not until 1996 and 1998 that the remains of the jaw, conical teeth and skull of a Spinosaurus were found in Morocco, in order to more accurately depict the appearance of this water giant.

Although the material was “poor” at first, with the remains ofBaryonixin England andSuchomimuscompared in Nigeria; two species that belonged to the same family asSpinosaurus, which is a much more detailed description ofSpinosauruswith a colossal size for the few remains that had by then.

The late 20th century account was maintained until 2014, when a new group of researchers made an account in which theSpinosaurusif“forced” quadrupedwas depicted, unlike the previous ones, which is a typical bipedal theropod similar to thatBaryonyxwar.

This new depiction is due to the fact that the new remains, along with the earlier and lost remains, have been three-dimensionally reconstructed in a computer.

In this depiction, they observed that the pelvis and hind limbs were smaller than assumed, so these limbs would not have been strong enough to support the entire weight of the spiny theropod's body alone.

However, this representation is not yet widely accepted, as they think that they used remains of several specimens and introduced them in only one, making a "chimera" ofSpinosaurushave created. That is, when introducing remains of different specimens of the same animal, everything would not have been perfectly balanced, sincesome remains are larger than others and could be influenced in the final presentation.

Although there are other researchers who have supported the hypothesis of theSpinosaurussupport four-legged friends. These researchers show that although theBaryonyxand theSuchomimuswere only bipeds, the specimens found were juveniles or subadults, giving the adults a reduction in hindlimb growth in a manner similar to other theropods such as theAlbertosauruscould have had.

In addition, theBaryonyxand theSuchomimusfrom theearly Cretaceous, while theSpinosaurusDating from the late Cretaceous period, so it had millions of years of adaptation and could have switched from a two-legged to a four-legged position to better adapt to the aquatic environment.

On the other hand, the dorsal remains that we now call Spinosaurusknow, dorsal candle,were considered a big humppresented.

With later reconstructions and new findings, the hump theory of theSpinosaurusalmost discarded, although there are still some scientists who support it, but the vast majority believes thatthe structure of the back was actually a candle.

And while its function is unknown, recent studies have found evidence of blood vessels between the bones of the expanses of vertebrae that make up the candle, enough to hydrate it but not enough for the animal's thermoregulation.

This eventually suggests that the candle could change tone to a more distinctive color to attract females or with anotherSpinosaurusor another large theropod to fight for the area.

Where can you find the Spinosaurus?

Well, until next September 3rd, 2017 you can see it at the Blau Museum in Barcelona, ​​Spain, in a special exhibition organized since last July 12th, 2016 by the National Geographic Society in collaboration with the University of Chicago in the United States becomes.

So if you are in Barcelona you are a dinosaur lover - it is a unique occasion not to be missed!

And you can also find it in the Natural History Museum in Berlin. There they have a 4 meter high and 12 meter long Spinosaurus skeleton named Tristan, whose remains were found in Montana, USA.

The Berlin Museum is also working closely with the National Geographic Society and the University of Chicago to redesign the entire environment and ecosystem in which this giant predator lived.

And as a curiosity, or rather as gossip, we will tell you that this dinosaur can also be found in the Jurassic Park III movie, "allegedly" fighting with a Tyrannosaurus Rex. We say "allegedly" because they never coexisted, both species are separated by millions of years and thousands of kilometers. But you already know... the magic of cinema that, in order to give the film more spectacle and emotion, in this case of Jurasik Park, skips a little as was the real story.

Finally, we leave you with a very interesting video about the Spinosaurus: