Spinosaurus
SPY-no-SAWR-us
Spinosaurus is a genus of carnivorous dinosaur native to North Africa, and lived around 95m years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. Its name translates to ‘spine lizard’, in reference to the long spines on its back vertebrae that form a sail, which researchers believe helps Spinosaurus to regulate its temperature. At around 15m in length and up to four tons in weight, Spinosaurus is one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs to have existed.
Discovery
The first Spinosaurus remains were discovered in 1912 by Austrian fossil collector Richard Markgraf, when he uncovered a partial skeleton in the Bahariya Formation, Egypt consisting of ribs, vertebrae and multiple spines that grew up to 1.65m long. Three years later, German paleontologist Ernst Stromer confirmed Markgraf’s find as a new genus
Palaeoecology
Spinosaurus remains have mainly been found across northern Africa, although fossils have been unearthed as far south as Kenya. It is believed that Spinosaurus preferred a warm, humid climate, and tended to live near swamps and marshes, preying on crocodiles, fish and even pterosaurs.
Information
- Era
- Late Cretaceous
- Family
- Spinosauridae
- Genus
- Spinosaurus
- Height
- 6.4M
- Length
- 15M
- Weight
- 4T
- Diet
- Piscivore, Carnivore, Live Prey
- Egg batch size
- 1 - 1
