The Spinosaurus, also known simply as Spino, was a carnivore that did not live at the same time as the Tyrannosaurus Rex, another famous Carnivore in the Mesozoic era. It got most of its āfameā from the third Jurassic Park movie and various books over the decades. At least, thatās when the public started knowing more about it. It lived in the early Cretaceous, whereas the T-Rex lived in the Late Cretaceous. They likely never met, as it was a very long period between them.
The Spinosaurus lived in Northern Africa, whereas the T-Rex resided in North America. However, the Earth at the time was more of a singular landmass rather than multiple separate continents. The Spino was discovered by fossil-hunter Richard Markgraf & German paleontologist Ernst Stromer in 1915.
Due to World War 1, the Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus (the āfirstā Spinosaurus fossil) became a casualty of war. The original fossils were destroyed in a British bombing raid in 1944. Fortunately, Ernst Stromer had left detailed drawings and multiple photographs, so the ātypeā remains available for analysis.
The Spinosaurus was among the largest of all known carnivorous and piscivorous dinosaurs. It was bigger than the T-Rex size-wise (though the T-Rex was bigger in weight!). Various estimates suggest that the Spino ranged from around 41 ā 59 ft (12.6 to 18 Metres), and was about 7 Tonnes (Some games like The Isle have Spinos as 9 Tons, which is a bit much in our opinion).
Its jaw was similar to that of a modern-day crocodilian. It had more useful arms than the T-Rex, using them to help grab fish for its meals. The Spinosaurusā tail, as recently discovered in 2020, has a more paddle-like design. Their forearms had an enlarged claw on the first digit, which helped them hold their prey.
Like most theropods, it was initially thought to have stood up with its tail near the ground. But as science has advanced, the Spinosaurus and other theropods like the T-Rex, Giganotosaurus, Acrocanthosaurus, and others were discovered to have had a more horizontal stance instead of a vertical stance.
The sail is an exciting aspect of the Spinosaurus. Some people may feel that it looks odd, but it helped it easily navigate lakes, oceans, and deep rivers. This, along with its paddle-like tail, helped it be more agile in the water. It was bulky, so its swim speed may not have been the best, but it could quickly turn and bend to catch up to prey more easily.
Some theories say that the sail of the Spino may be what drew a female Spinosaurus to a male for mating purposes. Its said that the larger & more prominent the sail, the more favorable by females during the mating season. Stromer also speculated that the size of the neural spines may have differed in size between genders. If you think of the Spinosaurusā sail like a Peacockās tail, you may consider that the males with the flashier tails are more attractive to females.
Another theory is it helped with maintaining their internal body temperature. During the day, itās said to have absorbed the sun, which helped perk up its metabolism, and at night, it would have radiated excess heat. This theory came to be because the Dimetrodon (not a dinosaur!) may have used it in this manner. The issue with this is that evidence points to theropods being warm-blooded (endothermic). The more primitive Dimetrodon, though, was Ectothermic (cold-blooded).
A third theory was that the Spinosaurus used it for navigation. This theory does make sense due to the new records, with its ānewā tail design. This would have helped it with swimming due to its semi-aquatic lifestyle. This theory seems more likely, to us at least.
The final theory is that it helped with survival. This theory states that it was more like a camelās hump. It may have stored fat reserves it could draw upon. But this would mean another complete redesign of its sail, and a major overhaul in books, TV, and Movies. The trouble with this is that the Spinosaurus lived in the wet and humid forests of early-mid Cretaceous Africa.
The odds are that multiple of these theories were true. It may have been used for navigation, survival, and mating. Until more fossils are discovered, we may never fully understand how the Spinosaurusā sail was used in their day-to-day lives.
Since the Spinosaurus is a Semi-aquatic dinosaur, it likely spent a reasonable amount of time in or near water. Their sail and tail were critical for them to navigate the water due to their size easily. Its paddle-like tail, sail, and webbed feet must have helped them with swimming in their daily life. These three aspects of their body shape, it indicates that it could swim in a similar manner to other crocodilians.
They were likely superb swimmers. They were not fully aquatic, like the Mosasaurus or Plesiosaurus, but they were in the water fairly often, requiring them to have the body shape they had during their entire lifespan.
Multiple things have a Spinosaurus in them! Jurassic Park 3, ARK Survival Evolved, The Isle, Path of Titans, and more to come in the future, Iām sure! If you want to see my thoughts on the Spinosaurus in Path of Titans, watch the following video:
The Spinosaurus is indeed a fantastic dinosaur. Although they have had a lot of body changes over the years, their overall shape and design have stuck to the same. The new spinosaurus tail design feels legitimate and flows well with the rest of their body design. Let us know your favorite parts of the Spinosaurus in the comments!
If you want to see some more Spino content, check out my thoughts in the video link above for the Path of Titans Spinosaurus! Have a rawrsome day, and weāll see you next time in the Mesozoic Haven!
The Spinosaurus lived in Northern Africa, whereas the T-Rex resided in North America. However, the Earth at the time was more of a singular landmass rather than multiple separate continents. The Spino was discovered by fossil-hunter Richard Markgraf & German paleontologist Ernst Stromer in 1915.
Due to World War 1, the Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus (the āfirstā Spinosaurus fossil) became a casualty of war. The original fossils were destroyed in a British bombing raid in 1944. Fortunately, Ernst Stromer had left detailed drawings and multiple photographs, so the ātypeā remains available for analysis.
Spinoās Size & Stature
The Spinosaurus was among the largest of all known carnivorous and piscivorous dinosaurs. It was bigger than the T-Rex size-wise (though the T-Rex was bigger in weight!). Various estimates suggest that the Spino ranged from around 41 ā 59 ft (12.6 to 18 Metres), and was about 7 Tonnes (Some games like The Isle have Spinos as 9 Tons, which is a bit much in our opinion).Its jaw was similar to that of a modern-day crocodilian. It had more useful arms than the T-Rex, using them to help grab fish for its meals. The Spinosaurusā tail, as recently discovered in 2020, has a more paddle-like design. Their forearms had an enlarged claw on the first digit, which helped them hold their prey.
Like most theropods, it was initially thought to have stood up with its tail near the ground. But as science has advanced, the Spinosaurus and other theropods like the T-Rex, Giganotosaurus, Acrocanthosaurus, and others were discovered to have had a more horizontal stance instead of a vertical stance.
Whatās With The Spinoās Sail?
Some theories say that the sail of the Spino may be what drew a female Spinosaurus to a male for mating purposes. Its said that the larger & more prominent the sail, the more favorable by females during the mating season. Stromer also speculated that the size of the neural spines may have differed in size between genders. If you think of the Spinosaurusā sail like a Peacockās tail, you may consider that the males with the flashier tails are more attractive to females.
Another theory is it helped with maintaining their internal body temperature. During the day, itās said to have absorbed the sun, which helped perk up its metabolism, and at night, it would have radiated excess heat. This theory came to be because the Dimetrodon (not a dinosaur!) may have used it in this manner. The issue with this is that evidence points to theropods being warm-blooded (endothermic). The more primitive Dimetrodon, though, was Ectothermic (cold-blooded).
A third theory was that the Spinosaurus used it for navigation. This theory does make sense due to the new records, with its ānewā tail design. This would have helped it with swimming due to its semi-aquatic lifestyle. This theory seems more likely, to us at least.
The final theory is that it helped with survival. This theory states that it was more like a camelās hump. It may have stored fat reserves it could draw upon. But this would mean another complete redesign of its sail, and a major overhaul in books, TV, and Movies. The trouble with this is that the Spinosaurus lived in the wet and humid forests of early-mid Cretaceous Africa.
The odds are that multiple of these theories were true. It may have been used for navigation, survival, and mating. Until more fossils are discovered, we may never fully understand how the Spinosaurusā sail was used in their day-to-day lives.
Spinosaurusā Aquatic Life
Since the Spinosaurus is a Semi-aquatic dinosaur, it likely spent a reasonable amount of time in or near water. Their sail and tail were critical for them to navigate the water due to their size easily. Its paddle-like tail, sail, and webbed feet must have helped them with swimming in their daily life. These three aspects of their body shape, it indicates that it could swim in a similar manner to other crocodilians.They were likely superb swimmers. They were not fully aquatic, like the Mosasaurus or Plesiosaurus, but they were in the water fairly often, requiring them to have the body shape they had during their entire lifespan.
Spinosaurus In Media
Multiple things have a Spinosaurus in them! Jurassic Park 3, ARK Survival Evolved, The Isle, Path of Titans, and more to come in the future, Iām sure! If you want to see my thoughts on the Spinosaurus in Path of Titans, watch the following video:
Conclusion
The Spinosaurus is indeed a fantastic dinosaur. Although they have had a lot of body changes over the years, their overall shape and design have stuck to the same. The new spinosaurus tail design feels legitimate and flows well with the rest of their body design. Let us know your favorite parts of the Spinosaurus in the comments!If you want to see some more Spino content, check out my thoughts in the video link above for the Path of Titans Spinosaurus! Have a rawrsome day, and weāll see you next time in the Mesozoic Haven!
