Fun Facts About Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus lived about 100 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period in an area that is now North Africa. The first remains were found during the early 1900s and subsequently destroyed during World War II. Thankfully, more recent discoveries have helped us learn about this interesting dinosaur. Here are some fun facts about Spinosaurus:
- Its name means ‘spine lizard’ due to the large sail on its back.
- The sail was made up of long spines that could be 7 feet tall. It was likely covered in a membrane of skin that might have flashed color. Paleontologists believe it may have been used to thermoregulate, attract mates, or intimidate other dinosaurs.
- Spinosaurus was the biggest carnivorous dinosaur. It was 60 feet long and weighed as much as 3 large elephants!
- It had conical teeth that were efficient at catching slippery prey like fish.
- Spinosaurus had a tail fluke like a salamander or newt, which might have helped propel it through the water like an aquatic predator.
- Its brain was relatively big. It was intelligent, large, and moved swiftly on 2 legs making it a formidable predator.
We have learned quite a bit about Spinosaurus since a nearly complete skeleton was discovered in 2014. Scientists are left wondering how much time Spinosaurus spent in or near water. We know their teeth were well suited for hunting fish. If you’d like to own a Spinosaurus tooth, check out the Spinosaurus teeth for sale at Tyrannostorus!