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Name: Spinosaurus
Pronunciation: SPY-no-SORE-us Translation: Spined lizard Diet: Carnivore Height: 14 - 20 feet (4.3 - 6 meters) Length: 41- 59 feet (12.6 - 18 meters) Weight: 7 - 20 tons (14,000 - 40,000 pounds) Location: Africa (Egypt, Niger) Time: Late Cretaceous (112 - 97 million years ago) |
Spinosaurus was first known from remains discovered in 1912 by German paleontologist, Ernst Stromer. Sadly, the fossils were completely destroyed in 1944 during WWII Allied bombing attacks over Germany. Because of this, very little was known about Spinosaurus until over 70 years later, when the new discovery of a partial skeleton was announced in 2014.
Spinosaurus was likely the longest carnivore ever, with an estimated length that rivaled both T. rex and Giganotosaurus. The impressive sail on its back also made it a contender for the tallest carnivore. Scientists aren't sure what the exact function of the sail was, but some suggest it may have been a thermal regulator, releasing heat on hot days and absorbing it on colder days. It also may have been used as a display to attract members of its own species and to scare its enemies. Some scientists even believe the sail was covered in fat, and stored nutrients like a camel's hump!
Spinosaurus' jaws were arranged in a 'fish trap', a cage-like array of small cone-shaped teeth that could hold slippery fish, at the front of its snout. Though it was primarily adapted for hunting fish, Spinosaurus would have likely eaten small land animals and scavenged too, like a modern Grizzly Bear.
In Jurassic Park 3, Spinosaurus wins a battle against a T. rex. While this made for a good fight scene; in real life the T. rex would have been the likely victor due to its massive jaw strength. More importantly their paths would not have ever crossed since both carnivores lived on different land masses, and despite the fact that both lived in the Cretaceous, Spinosaurus went extinct over 20 million years before T. rex first appeared.
Spinosaurus was likely the longest carnivore ever, with an estimated length that rivaled both T. rex and Giganotosaurus. The impressive sail on its back also made it a contender for the tallest carnivore. Scientists aren't sure what the exact function of the sail was, but some suggest it may have been a thermal regulator, releasing heat on hot days and absorbing it on colder days. It also may have been used as a display to attract members of its own species and to scare its enemies. Some scientists even believe the sail was covered in fat, and stored nutrients like a camel's hump!
Spinosaurus' jaws were arranged in a 'fish trap', a cage-like array of small cone-shaped teeth that could hold slippery fish, at the front of its snout. Though it was primarily adapted for hunting fish, Spinosaurus would have likely eaten small land animals and scavenged too, like a modern Grizzly Bear.
In Jurassic Park 3, Spinosaurus wins a battle against a T. rex. While this made for a good fight scene; in real life the T. rex would have been the likely victor due to its massive jaw strength. More importantly their paths would not have ever crossed since both carnivores lived on different land masses, and despite the fact that both lived in the Cretaceous, Spinosaurus went extinct over 20 million years before T. rex first appeared.