Spinosaurus: Then and Now
The Spinosaurus is a dinosaur first discovered in the early 20th century. It was named by Ernst Stromer, the man who first discovered it and its name translates to “Spine reptile”. It is estimated to have lived during the Cretaceous period and more specifically between 112-93.5 million years ago. (10) The Spinosaurus belongs to the Phylum of Chordata, meaning it has a hollow nerve chord ending in a brain, the Class of Archosauria, meaning it is a diapsid amniote, the Order of Saurischia, meaning it is lizard-hipped, the Suborder of Theropoda, meaning it is a carnivore, and finally the Family of Spinosauridae and Subfamily of Spinosaurinae. (11) The three known species include Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, Spinosaurus maroccanus …show more content…
(1) “The ribs were equally dense and tightly curved, creating an unusual barrel-shaped torso. The neck was long, the skull enormous. But the jaws were surprisingly slender and elongated, with a peculiar arched snout tip speckled with tiny pits. The forelimbs and thoracic girdle were bulky, while the hind limbs were disproportionately short and slender.”(1)
When the anatomy of the Spinosaurus could finally be described in detail is when researchers started realizing that this dinosaur might have been an aquatic or semi-aquatic dinosaur. Many of its physical traits are consistent with the idea of the Spinosaurus being aquatic; for example its nostrils are pointing high in order to help it breathe when almost fully under water, the “barrel shaped torso” is very similar to the shape of modern aquatic mammals and its long rear legs would have been very useful in helping it swim. (1) The conical shape of its teeth, reminiscent of crocodile teeth, points to a diet consisting mainly of fish which further reinforces the idea of an aquatic/semi-aquatic predator. (6) Although usually presented as a biped, the Spinosaurus was most probably a quadruped when on land “given the usual horizontal sacroiliac joint and the anterior location of the estimated center of body mass”.
The Spinosaurus is a dinosaur first discovered in the early 20th century. It was named by Ernst Stromer, the man who first discovered it and its name translates to “Spine reptile”. It is estimated to have lived during the Cretaceous period and more specifically between 112-93.5 million years ago. (10) The Spinosaurus belongs to the Phylum of Chordata, meaning it has a hollow nerve chord ending in a brain, the Class of Archosauria, meaning it is a diapsid amniote, the Order of Saurischia, meaning it is lizard-hipped, the Suborder of Theropoda, meaning it is a carnivore, and finally the Family of Spinosauridae and Subfamily of Spinosaurinae. (11) The three known species include Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, Spinosaurus maroccanus …show more content…
(1) “The ribs were equally dense and tightly curved, creating an unusual barrel-shaped torso. The neck was long, the skull enormous. But the jaws were surprisingly slender and elongated, with a peculiar arched snout tip speckled with tiny pits. The forelimbs and thoracic girdle were bulky, while the hind limbs were disproportionately short and slender.”(1)
When the anatomy of the Spinosaurus could finally be described in detail is when researchers started realizing that this dinosaur might have been an aquatic or semi-aquatic dinosaur. Many of its physical traits are consistent with the idea of the Spinosaurus being aquatic; for example its nostrils are pointing high in order to help it breathe when almost fully under water, the “barrel shaped torso” is very similar to the shape of modern aquatic mammals and its long rear legs would have been very useful in helping it swim. (1) The conical shape of its teeth, reminiscent of crocodile teeth, points to a diet consisting mainly of fish which further reinforces the idea of an aquatic/semi-aquatic predator. (6) Although usually presented as a biped, the Spinosaurus was most probably a quadruped when on land “given the usual horizontal sacroiliac joint and the anterior location of the estimated center of body mass”.