Spinosaurus vs. Tyrannosaurus

Many people have heard of the T-Rex, the "T" short for Tyrannosaurus; however, there is a second dinosaur not as well-known called the Spinosaurus. There are several differences and similarities between the two prehistoric creatures.

The Spinosaurus was the largest carnivorous dinosaur that ever lived, and was in existence millions of years before the T-Rex. The former lived during the Cretaceous period, specifically at the lower Albian to lower Cenomanian stages 112 to 97 million years ago. On the other hand, the T-Rex lived during the upper Cretaceous period between 67 to 65 million years ago. It was one of the latest species alive prior to the mass extinction. The two creatures never existed at the same time.

Since the T-Rex lived later than the Spinosaurus, it is the most well-known species of Tyrannosaurus and scientists know much more about it. In fact, there are over 30 T-Rex specimens that have been found, which includes some that are close to full skeletons. However, there are only six known specimens of Spinosaurus.

Regarding their actual size, the Spinosaurus was between 12.8 and 18 meters long (42 and 60 feet) and weighed between 7 and 22 tons. Though, the T-Rex was smaller, while it was in existence, it was the largest dinosaur on the Earth. The largest T-Rex specimen found was about 12 meters (40 feet) long and 4 meters (13 feet) tall at the hip, weighing between 4.5 tons and 7.2 tons, about one-third the weight of a Spinosaurus.

The structure of the two large creatures were also different. The Spinosaurus had a crocodile-like appearance with a long skull with a narrow snout. In addition, there were tall spines growing out of its back vertebrae known as "sails." They mostly walked on two legs but research has shown they sometimes walked on four legs as well. On the other hand, the T-Rex had a short but muscular neck, huge head, powerful legs with two short forelimbs with a pair of clawed fingers on each. It also had something the Spinosaurus did not have, a long, heavy tail which balanced out its enormous head and torso.

Paleontologists are unsure exactly what the Spinosaurus had as part of its diet. They may have caught land animals or ate fish. Similarly, there is a debate over the T-Rex being a predator or scavenger.

The discovery by archaeologists of the two specimens also took place at different times. The first T-Rex teeth were found in 1874 in Colorado, with a partial skeleton discovered in Wyoming in 1900 and a second skeleton two years later in Wyoming. The first partial remains of a Spinosaurus was found in 1912 in western Egypt, and more remains were located in 1934.

Finally, the two dinosaurs have been featured in popular culture, both appearing in a Jurassic Park movie. The T-Rex is the most popular, making its first appearance in a 1918 movie, and later in a King Kong movie, plus it is the model for the children's TV character Barney. The Spinosaurus is not as popular but during its role in the Jurassic Park movie, the dinosaurs battle each other with the T-Rex coming out on top.

In summary, the Spinosaurus existed before the T-Rex, is larger, did not exist on Earth at the same time, and are different in appearance. If the two dinosaurs existed at the same time, the T-Rex would be much more powerful than the Spinosaurus.