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sharp-clawed runner
Spinosaurus
Say it like this: “SPIEN-o-SAWR-us”
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
Spinosaurus ate mostly fish and walked on two or four legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Morocco and Niger.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) · roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago
- Named in
- 1915 · Stromer, E.
- Hip height
- 2.5 m · 8 ft
- Length
- 14–15 m · 46–49 ft
- Weight
- 6.5–9 tonnes
- Found in
- Morocco and Niger · Gara Sbaa
- Food and walking
- Fish-eater · Two or four legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Spinosaurinae
The story in short
The genus Spinosaurus dates to 1915, the year E. Stromer described it. The name means “spine lizard.”
Fossils referred to Spinosaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago. Finds come from Morocco and Niger, including the Gara Sbaa Formation. It was a fish-eater and could move on two or four legs.
Published estimates put Spinosaurus at a length near 14–15 m, hips about 2.5 m high, and a body mass around 6.5–9 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Spinosaurinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.
This entry is the whole genus. The type species is Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. Other named species include Spinosaurus mirabilis.
Other species with this name
- Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
- Spinosaurus mirabilis
Close relatives
Ichthyovenator
Ichthyovenator laosensis
Early Cretaceous (Aptian) · roughly 121.4 to 113.2 million years ago
Irritator
Irritator challengeri
Early Cretaceous (Aptian · Albian) · roughly 121.4 to 100.5 million years ago
Oxalaia
Oxalaia quilombensis
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) · roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago