 Description:Spinosaurus
was first discovered over 100 years ago in Egypt by Ernst Stromer.
The fragmentary remains indicated a large dinosaur with a dramatic
sail on its back. Unfortunately all the specimens from that original
discoverywere lost in a bombing raid in World War II. Since then,
fragmentary remains of isolated teeth, claws, and a few bones
were all that were known of this enigmatic dinosaur. A local
Moroccan collector of fossil discovered a partial specimen which
has provided additional clues as to its appearance. Unfortunately
the remains are still quite incomplete and in a n effort at hyperbole,
researchers have cobbled together bones from this find, photos
(all that exists) of the original specimen, extrapolations of
specimens of diverse size and analogy with related types to arrive
at a composite specimen of some 15 meters in size they term ‘bigger
than T-rex”, a term seized upon by fossil dealers to sell
specimens. While such may indeed be the case, a quick perusal
of the image in a recent National Geographic magazine will reveal
just how cobbled together this composite is. Compare this to “Sue”,
the T. rex at the Field Museum that is some 90% complete.
Nevertheless, Spinosaurus was a large carnivorous dinosaur which
appears to have lived a near aquatic existence. The large, unserrated
conical teeth are more suited for seizing slippery prey than for
slicing meat from bones. The example offered here is quite large,
most likely coming from an animal in the middle of the size spectrum.
There is some wear to the tooth end, presumably due to wear in
life. Note the excellent enamel in this specimen.
References:
Science, Vol 345, Issue 6204, 26 September 2014, pp1613-1616 and
48 pages of supplementary material
National Geographic, October 2014, pp 100-121.
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