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Spinosaurus

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Introduction to Spinosaurus

One of the most important creatures on the earth to be discussed, even though their extension was done long ago, is the spinosaurus. The Spinosaurus dinosaur is the largest carnivore dinosaur that belongs to the theropod dinosaur family. They belong to the Cretaceous period, which is found 90 to 110 years ago. Considering their size, it’s interesting to know how much did spinosaurus weigh? The Spinosaurus dinosaurs became larger with 59 ft length and 20 tons weight approximately. Even though some of the spinosaurus are smaller, the largest and heaviest spinosaurus weight is mentioned. These are such huge creatures that are heavier and larger than Tyrannosaurus rex and Giganotosaurus. 


Description of Spinosaurus

Initially, the spinosaurus was found in both Egypt and morocco. They are found in Bahadia formation and Kem Kem beds in Egypt and Morocco, respectively. The species from Egypt are  Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus and the potential second species from Morocco are Spinosaurus maroccanus. Later, Baryonyx was found in England, and Suchomimus found in Niger, the two different spinosaurus species. These two species have crocodile-like skulls. Most of the species of spinosaurus were differentiated using their spine shapes. Several researchers stated that the spinosaurus lifestyle is semi-aquatic. Also, different species have different habits like omnivores, herbivores, etc.


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Structure of Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus size is the first and foremost aspect to be discussed in the structure of Spinosaurus. Can you guess how much did spinosaurus weigh? Let's see in detail.

Due to limited contents available for scientists, the exact size of spinosaurus can't be determined. Initially, they suggested that the spinosaurus size is 8 to 9 tons. Later some other scholar stated that it is around 12 tons. Based on the recent discovery, it is clear that the spinosaurus size is around 20 tons which is the largest among all other dinosaurs. The spinosaurus height is around 59 feet.

Another important aspect of the structure of the spinosaurus is its skull and teeth. The Spinosaurus skull is about 6 ft, and it is similar to that of modern crocodiles. Spinosaurus fossil remnants indicate that they are semi-aquatic piscivores. The spinosaurus has lengthy conical jaws and unserrated teeth to cut fish. They have raised nostrils; the secondary palate helps to eat and breathe in parallel. The spinosaurus has a narrow snout. They have 6-7 teeth in the front upper jaw on both sides of the snout. Behind the premaxilla, around 12 teeth present on either side. Also, there is a significant space between the second and third tooth in the front teeth, which helps to bite large bodies with the help of lower teeth. It is a distinct feature of spinosaurus Aegyptiacus. 


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The Spinosaurus Skeleton is postcranial in structure. It has a long neck full of muscles. All these together provide strong shoulders and large forelimbs. They also had clawed fingers on both hands. The finger bones of spinosaurus are known as phalanges. The skeleton plays a significant role in the structure of the spinosaurus. The skull has different shapes, which can differentiate species. The material of the skull also acts as a differentiating factor.


Reproduction in Spinosaurus

The Spinosaurus lays eggs like various reptiles. But the scientist did not get any proof regarding hatching those eggs. So they speculated that these eggs might be mango size and they can be covered with nests made up of dried plants. In this way, the next generation of Spinosaurus was grown.


Spinosaurus Behavior

The Spinosaurus behaviour is unique and different from other aquatic animals in the land animals. Even though they have four limbs, they usually walk on the back limbs. It uses a bipedal condition and has an occasional crouching posture. The entire family of theropods cannot rotate its forearms. Spinosaurus is not exceptional for this. Also, the Spinosaurus has a cavity in their snout. This cavity contains pressure receptors. These receptors help to find the unseen prey. 


Favorable Climatic Conditions

The species of a Spinosaurus were found in various regions. By summarizing all these regions, the scientists had given some favorable climatic conditions for the lifestyle of Spinosaurus. Usually, they feel comfortable in hot and humid environments for their survival. They live in various continents, including Africa, North America, South America, and a supercontinent, Pangea and Atlantic ocean, etc. 

Especially the coastal lines, tidal flats, rocky mountains, and the channels of fish, etc., available in Egypt were favorable for the survival of Spinosaurus. The mangrove forests were also there, which used to hatch their eggs. The climate also has an impact on the spinosaurus food. Let's see how it will be. 


Diet of Spinosaurus

There is no clear idea on the Spinosaurus food. As the spinosaurus dinosaurs are semi-aquatic, they eat both aquatic animals and land animals. The majority of the species are carnivores. That means they are flesh-eating animals. Also, these spinosaurus dinosaurs are the largest carnivore dinosaurs. Did conical teeth help to understand that they eat fish? Is the space between the upper teeth giving an idea that they may eat large bodies also?


Spinosaurus Sail 

The Spinosaurus sail is an unusual creature. It is not homologous; it is analogous and similar to a Permian mammal-like a reptile. They have various types of hypotheses. They are as follows - 

  • They act as heat regulators. They have a huge number of blood vessels. To absorb more heat, the sails use a large surface area. This aspect specifies that the sales have warm blood partially. They are fond of living in places where the temperatures will become low at night. They live in the Sahara desert. The sales of various dinosaurs were found in African coastal regions also. The skin area also increases gradually.

  • An attractive appearance is an important thing for all modern creatures to attract the opposite sex. This is quite natural and easy for the sale of dinosaurs also. Because they have I go to a ship which is similar to peacock style. It is very colorful and attractive so that the opposite gender sales were quite attractive with appearance.

  • The intimidating device of sails uses it to protect itself and frighten the enemies. It helps to increase the size of their actual ones. Nowadays the rattlesnakes are using the same principle.


Paleobiology

The spinosaurus is partially aquatic, amphibians, and terrestrial too. After several debates, these spinosaurus are majorly carnivorous and semi-aquatic creatures. They also live in the rocky mountains and feed on few land animals, which implies the features of terrestrial animals. The neural spines are very long, starting from the head and end with the tail. They also had dorsal and ventral sides. Nearly three counter theories were thereupon this spinosaurus. Recently, researchers said that the degree of aquatic habitation is also not consistent. 


Paleo Environment

The above statement states that there is no clear-cut explanation of the favorable environment of a spinosaurus. Of course, hot, humid, and the mountain areas were favorable, and it is possible that they survived for a long time. Egypt, North America, South America, Africa, Libya, Morocco, etc., all come under a favorable environment. Different regions were identified by observing the shape, size, growth of different species. The spinosaurus of some species may grow in small size, and some may grow big. The Spinosaurus fossil also influences the environment. Food habits may also have some impact.


Species and Specimen


1. IPHG 1912 VIII 19:

They were found in 1915 with a size of 17.4 m, 12-19 tons (subadult). The material is a maxillary fragment, incomplete dentary. Its skull length is 1.45m. The nineteen teeth have a size of  62-126 mm. The two incomplete cervical vertebrae and seven dorsal vertebrae are 190mm-210 mm. They also have dorsal ribs, gastralia, and eight caudal centra.

2. CMN 50791:

They were found by Russell in 1996. They have 195mm mid-cervical vertebrae, anterior dorsal neural arch, anterior dentary, and a mid dentary.

3. MNHN SAM 124:

Taquet and Russell found this type in  1998. These are adult categories with 11 to 18 tons. The Spinosaurus height is 17m. The partial premaxillae, vomers, dentary fragments are the material.

4. Office National des Mines nBM231:  

They were founded by Buffetaut and Ouija in 2002. The anterior dentary is the material of this species.

5. MSNM V4047:  

In 2006, Dal Sasso et al. had found this specimen. Their size is around 20- 32 tons with a length of 21m. The skull length is 1.75m and its material includes partial nasals, premaxillae, partial maxillae.


Certain Interesting Spinosaurus Facts

Regarding Spinosaurus dinosaurs, several interesting facts are there. Let's have a glance at some prominent spinosaurus facts:

  • Spinosaurus is the largest carnivore dinosaur.

  • They have long conical teeth, which help to feed on fish.

  • The material and skull differentiated the specimens of the Spinosaurus.

  • In 1915, the spinosaurus fossil was found in Egypt and morocco.

  • They are heavier and larger than other dinosaurs. The size of the Spinosaurus was determined by various scientists as approximately 9-12 tons, and the recent discovery described it as around 20 tons.

  • The word Spinosaurus refers to a spine lizard. It is a kind of dinosaur.


Conclusion

Hence the spinosaurus is a dinosaur that is the largest among all. It is a semi-aquatic creature that feeds on fauna. They are heavier and larger. The structure, which includes teeth, skull, spine, etc. were playing a vital role. Though several scientists did various research, unfortunately, no clear ideas were there due to lack of content. The extinction took place before the dinosaurs. 

FAQs on Spinosaurus

1. Who is the More Powerful T Rex or Spinosaurus?

Ans: Spinosaurus is more powerful, larger, and heavier than T-Rex. Both the T-Rex and Spinosaurus show various similarities and differences. All those variations are listed below- 

  • The word Spinosaurus means the spine lizard, whereas the word T-Rex means tyrant lizard.

  • The length of the spinosaurus is around 12 to 15 m long. On the other hand, the length of the T-Rex is 10 to 14 m long.

  • The size of the Spinosaurus virus. They are from 4 tons to 20 tons. In contrast, the size of a T-Rex is around 5 to 7 tons.

  • The spinosaurus was found in the middle of the Cretaceous period, whereas the T-Rex was found in the late Cretaceous period.

  • Both Spinosaurus and a T-Rex are carnivorous and large.

  • The spinosaurus has a sail and the ability to attract opposite genders and can regulate the temperatures of the body. On the other hand, the T rex has very few arms and doesn't have any capability in regulating the body temperature.

2. Would a Spinosaurus Eat a Human?

Ans: As the spinosaurus was heavier and larger, they could easily smash and crush the bones of a human being. But human beings are the largest thing that they might swallow in their lifetime. Whether it may eat or not, a human being can die because of the damage caused by the spinosaurus. It will become a great obstacle to human beings. So people should have taken utmost care in the presence of spinosaurus. These are the huge forms of dinosaurs that always create a threat to mankind. However, now all the spinosaurus are extinct so there’s nothing to worry about. 

3. What Did the Spinosaurus Look Like?

Ans: The spinosaurus has a crouching posture and can walk on two back limbs. Even though they have four limbs, they use only the back two limbs. Also, they don't rotate their forearms in a downward direction. They have a scary appearance to the viewers because of their heavy size. They also have a snout and conical teeth on the front and lower jazz. They can feed on aquatic animals and land animals. They appear like a giant reptile and it is the largest dinosaur. They also have stubby hind limbs and a crocodile-shaped skull, and the bones are arranged in an S shape. Along with the distinct physical features, the functioning of the narrow stout, tooth and the space between teeth were also innovative.