Spinosaurus Facts
Spinosaurus Facts
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| Interesting Spinosaurus Facts: |
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| The first Spinosaurus skeleton was described in 1915 in Egypt by Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach, a German palaeontologist. They had been unearthed by Richard Markgraf. |
| During World War II the fossils found by Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach were destroyed. They had been housed in the Deutsches Museum in Munich, which was bombed in 1944. |
| The Spinosaurus discovered in Egypt was of the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus species, which means 'Egyptian spine lizard.' |
| Another specimen of the Spinosaurus was discovered and described by Dale Russell in 1996. It was named the Spinosaurus marroccanus as it was found in Morocco, and means 'Moroccan spine lizard.' |
| The Spinosaurus lived a semi-aquatic lifestyle, which means it spent time on land and in the water. It is believed that the Spinosaurus consumed a lot of fish and plants. |
| The Spinosaurus had short hind legs, nostrils in the middle of its snout, a small pelvis, and other features that suggest it was capable of swimming. |
| The Spinosaurus' snout looked similar to a crocodile's snout. It was long and narrow and inside the jaw were many sharp teeth. They were short teeth but effective for catching fish. |
| Although the Spinosaurus is a theropod dinosaur some scientists believe it occasionally walked on all fours. Most theropods do not do this. |
| Although the Spinosaurus was possibly the largest dinosaur ever to walk the earth, its spiny sail made it look much larger and probably kept other dinosaurs from attacking it. |
| A neck fossil was uncovered in 2011 in Australia that is believed to have belonged to a Spinosaurus, which suggest they may have lived further from Africa than previously believed. |
| Although the original Spinosaurus specimen that Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach described was destroyed in World War II, he kept such meticulous notes that they have been used for research. |
| Parts of Spinosaurus specimens are located in various museums around the world. A mid-cervical vertebra is located at the Canadian Museum of Nature. A snout is located at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. Two nasals are located at the University of Chicago. A snout is also located at the Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano. Another specimen has been discovered in North Africa's Kem Kem beds. |
| It is believed by many that the Spinosaurus was likely the largest carnivorous dinosaur on the planet. It was featured in the movie Jurassic Park 3. |
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