Spinosaurus

You’re swimming in a winding river of the Sahara in the Cretaceous period, when you see a large sail come up out of the water…It’s a Spinosaurus fishing in the water!

Originally thought to be a land carnivore like the T. Rex, recent looks at the Spinosaurus have scientists speculating that it was actually a primarily aquatic predator similar to the modern crocodile.

Spinosaurus was a massive predator, called a theropod. It had a crocodile-like skull and a giant sail on its back, more than 6 feet high.

Spinosaurus Basic Information

Name: Spinosaurus
Pronunciation: SPY-noh-SAW-rus
Meaning: Spine lizard
Time-Period: Early Cretaceous 99-94 MYA
Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Reptilia
- Family: Spinosauridae
- Subfamily: Spinosaurinae
- Tribe: Spinosaurini
- Genus: Spinosaurus
- Species: Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
Diet: Carnivore
Fossil Locations: Egypt, North Africa, 1915

Where Did Spinosaurus Live?

The Spinosaurus lived in the Sahara region, covering North Africa up to Egypt. At the time when Spinosaurus was alive, this region had a large river system, and it is speculated that they spent much time in it.

Their fossils have been found in:

Egypt
North Africa
Niger

This landmass had an ecosystem and biome that was much different from the dry Sahara we know today. The area was crawling with predatory carnivorous dinosaurs; there were far fewer herbivores found in the Sahara River area during the Cretaceous period.

Spinosaurus Physical Characteristics

With a long, narrow crocodilian skull and straight conical teeth, this menacing dinosaur would have been a terrifying sight floating in the river.

Similar to the T. Rex, Spinosaurus walked on its two hind legs and had two shorter front limbs, and a long tail for balance. Not to mention its defining six-foot-high sail on its back.

Size (Length/Height): 46 feet (14 meters) long /
Notable Features: The most notable feature of the Spinosaurus that sets it apart from other carnivores was its large sail on its back, comprised of large, spiky bones that were connected by webbing. That and its long crocodile-like snout.
Weight: 12 tons
Appearance: The Spinosaurus walked on two legs, with shorter front arms being used for combat and swimming to some extent.
Teeth: Spinosaurus had a narrow nose and a notch at the front of its jaws. Its mouth is full of conical teeth that interlock, similar to crocodiles.
Eyesight: While the spinosaurus was a predator and had binocular vision, it is thought that it had limited vision good enough to allow it to catch fish underwater.
Smell: The spinosaurus had nostrils, which indicated a great reliance on its sense of smell, which explains its limited eyesight.
Hearing: Early spinosaurs had slightly elongated inner ears, which allowed them to be very specialized for hearing lower frequencies. While later spinosaurs had evolved to hear higher pitches, indicating an adaptation for their aquatic environment.

What Did Spinosaurus Eat?

The Spinosaurus was a largely aquatic animal. Being a meat-eater, it would have eaten whatever meat it could find, namely fish and smaller dinosaurs.

Onchopristis
Mawsonia
Fish
Other dinosaurs
Scraps and carcasses

Additional Facts

6-foot Sail: The Spinosaurus had a massive sail, which would have stuck out of the water while it hunted. It is speculated that the sail was for regulating body temperature, similar to the plates of a stegosaurus. It is thought to have stood in shade and pumped blood through its sail when it overheated.
Largest Carnivore: Despite the Tyrannosaurus rex being considered the king of Dinosaurs, the Spinosaurus was larger than the Tyrannosaurus rex. Spinosaurus is actually the largest carnivorous dinosaur we’ve discovered to date. Though it was dwarfed by herbivore dinosaurs.
Lost To War: The original remains of Spinosaurus and other dinosaurs found in Egypt were unfortunately destroyed during bombings in World War II. Despite this loss, there were detailed descriptions and notes of the materials he discovered. Thankfully, there have been new discoveries of Spinosaurus since then, including one displayed in the Field Museum in Chicago.

FAQ

Scientists and researchers have many speculations about the sail of Spinosaurus. The most common with the most merit are similar to those of the Stegosaurus’ plates: it may have helped regulate body temperature, and it may have been part of mating displays.

A less common idea was that Spinosaurus had a thicker fleshy hump rather than a thin sail, but this is unlikely and without much purpose.

Yes, Spinosaurus was longer and bigger than any other carnivore known currently. Although T.rex had longer hind legs than the Spinosaurus’s shorter legs, so the T.Rex was taller than the Spinosaurus.

We unfortunately don’t have any complete skeletons, so we can’t give an exact total size, but we do know that they were larger and longer than the T. rex.

No, while some scientists used to think the Spinosaurus may have walked on all fours, today we believe it walked on its two hind legs. However, it is clear that it most likely spent most of its time in the water, with no need to walk at all.