Spinosaurus the Scourge of Prehistoric Rivers

Published: 15th Sep 2014

New research demonstrates that Spinosaurus was the only dinosaur known that was adapted to life in the water and that it would have swam in the rivers of what is now North Africa.  It lived 100 million years ago and now a new discovery from Morocco of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus has strengthened beliefs that this dinosaur lead a semi-aquatic life.

The new skeleton shows clear signs of having lived in rivers and lakes with hip bones like a whale, nostrils positioned high on the head like a crocodile allowing it to breathe with its head partly submerged, and dense bones like a penguin that allowed it to dive for food. It had shortish legs and long feet with large flat claws leading experts to think it may have had webbed feet.

Spinosaurus is the largest predatory dinosaur known. An adult weighed up to 20 tonnes and was up to 15 metres (48ft 9ins) long. However this predator ate fish not meat. Probably all that would have been seen of the dinosaur when it was in the water was the 2 metre sail on its back and the top of its head.