W B Do you know what a Spinosaurus is? No? But you do know what a T. Rex is, that's for sure. Imagine a much bigger and mysterious dinosaur! Get ready to learn more about it!
What were its spines for?
This enigmatic reptile brings more questions than answers with its fossil bones. Its distinctive and unique spines, which were extensions of the vertebrae, grew up to 5.4 feet long and were likely to have skin connecting them, forming a sail-like structure. However, some researchers have suggested that these spines were covered in fat and formed a hump to store water. Several functions have also been attributed to these spines, such as thermoregulation and display, though the sail theory makes more sense. What do you think?
Bombed and perfectly recreated
The first fossils of this big dinosaur were discovered in Egypt by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer. But unfortunately, these were destroyed during World War II bombings. However, recent discoveries in Morocco have reinforced any previous knowledge. Several other remains have also been found in Algeria, Tunisia, and perhaps Niger and Libya as well. Currently, it has been possible to recreate the Spinosaurus not only through the magic of movies like in the most famous dinosaur movie saga of all time, but there are also faithful replicas in size and quite real to the eye. Where can you find this? Not in Disney, of course. The Spinosaurus most accurate to the information handled by scientists can be found roving around different museums and has already been in main European cities. Hopefully, it’s now on its way to your city. Would you like to see it? I do!
Half duck, half crocodile
How is this possible? According to National Geographic, this huge predator may have had webbed feet for walking on soft mud or paddling. Moreover, its feet were strong with long bones and flat claws. Unlike other predators, the Spinosaurus had feet similar to some shorebirds that move across flat surfaces. Add this to the fact that its nostrils were located at the top, which allowed it to breathe when its head was in the water like a crocodile since this humongous frightening carnivore was semi-aquatic. You might wonder, how did such a large carnivore survive in North Africa millions of years ago? Basically, the great Sahara Desert was far from being a desert at the time as there were many rivers. Amazing, right? The place was full of different animals and this giant kept an important control in this ecosystem. The Spinosaurus could eat huge fish, turtles, and other prey that could be up to 22 feet long, which says a lot about its massive appetite.
The largest carnivorous dinosaur of all
I told you this in advance in the intro, but… why? Let me tell you! This is the largest carnivorous dinosaur so far. It’s even larger than the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Giganotosaurus, even though the Spinosaurus didn’t share the same sturdy constitution these other two behemoths had. Estimates published between 2005 and 2007 suggest that it was 39 to 59 feet long and weighed between 7 and 20.9 tons. If you consider its crocodile-like skull and distinctive spines, the Spinosaurus was the terror of its prey.
It feeds like a pelican
The fossilized upper jaw of a Spinosaurus found in Morocco has been studied by researchers from Nova University Lisbon and show that this great carnivore fed mainly on fish. Not only that, but it’s also known that it widened its mouth to swallow its prey like a pelican. This giant didn’t even bother to chew on them!
Is it bipedal or quadrupedal?
Perhaps in the Jurassic Park franchise, you saw this dinosaur as a land colossus and a ferocious monster capable of facing the largest predators of the Cretaceous period. In 2014, a group of paleontologists from the University of Chicago and Milan published in the journal Science the results of the analysis carried out on the most complete Spinosaurus skeleton found to this day. They concluded that this dinosaur wasn’t the bipedal predator everyone thought. Its body was adapted to spend most of the time in the water and could hardly lean on its two hind legs. What does this mean? Basically, its elongated body and neck made this animal use its four legs to move.
Now comes what you were waiting for and, if you’ve seen Jurassic Park 3, you’ll be surprised to know that…
It never ran into a T. Rex
You surely wonder what relationship these two giants have. Unfortunately, let me tell you that almost none because chronologically speaking, the Tyrannosaurus Rex lived in the late Cretaceous period, which was about 67 to 65 million years ago. While the Spinosaurus lived in the same period, but 95 to 93 million years ago. Therefore, it would have been impossible for them to meet. Besides, the T. Rex was native to North America and the Spinosaurus to Africa. So, a hypothetical encounter between these two titans would only be possible thanks to your imagination and science fiction.
Did you enjoy learning about the deadliest carnivore in the Cretaceous period? Because I did and a lot! Don’t forget to leave a comment and share.
