SPINOSAURUS
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
Meaning: "Spine Lizard"
📊 STATS
Size comparison:
As long as a school bus!
📖 ABOUT SPINOSAURUS
Meet Spinosaurus, the amazing 'Spine Lizard'! This giant dinosaur had a huge sail on its back and loved to swim and hunt for fish!
Spinosaurus was one of the biggest and most unusual meat-eating dinosaurs that ever lived! Its name, 'Spine Lizard,' comes from the enormous sail-like structure on its back, made of long spines sticking up from its vertebrae. Scientists think this sail might have been used to attract mates, regulate body temperature, or even to show off to other Spinosaurus!
Unlike many other theropods, Spinosaurus was a semi-aquatic dinosaur. This means it spent a lot of time in the water! Fossils show it had dense bones that helped it stay submerged, and its nostrils were positioned high on its snout, allowing it to breathe while partially underwater. Imagine a giant, scaly crocodile with a sail on its back!
Spinosaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous period, around 99 to 93 million years ago, in what is now North Africa. It was a piscivore, meaning its main food source was fish. With its strong jaws and sharp teeth, it was perfectly adapted for catching slippery prey in the rivers and swamps.
🔬 CLASSIFICATION
- Group
- Theropoda
- Family
- Spinosauridae
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (100-66 Ma)
- Era
- 99.0 - 93.0 million years ago
🗺️ DISCOVERY
- Year
- 1912
- Discovered by
- Ernst Stromer
- Location
- Egypt
- Fossils found in
- Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya
🎨 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATION
Artistic reconstruction of Spinosaurus based on fossil evidence
🗺️ WHERE FOSSILS WERE FOUND
Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya
🤓 FUN FACTS
- ✨ Spinosaurus was longer than a Tyrannosaurus Rex!
- ✨ Its sail could have been as tall as a person!
- ✨ Spinosaurus had flat feet, perfect for walking on muddy ground!
- ✨ Scientists think Spinosaurus might have been able to swim!
- ✨ The first Spinosaurus fossils were destroyed during World War II!
💡 DID YOU KNOW?
Get this – Spinosaurus is the only known dinosaur that could probably swim! Scientists found its tail was shaped like a paddle, helping it move through the water!
