Paleontologists Paul Sereno and Dan Vidal take notes on a massive hind limb of a new long-necked dinosaur, its femur measuring nearly 2m in length, at the Jenguebi dig site in Niger in November 2022.
Matthew Irving/Fossil Lab/University of Chicago
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Matthew Irving/Fossil Lab/University of Chicago
A newfound species of large dinosaur inhabited wetlands, preyed on fish, and sported a remarkable horn on its skull. This marks the first identification of a new species of Spinosaurus dinosaurs in over a century, with these fish-eating predators originating during the Jurassic period over 140 million years ago.
The recently unearthed species, named Spinosaurus mirabilis, measured the length of a school bus and was excavated in Niger by an international team of researchers led by paleontologists from the University of Chicago. The findings of this discovery were recently published in the journal Science.
The researchers estimate that Spinosaurus mirabilis thrived approximately 95 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, inhabiting a swampy region in what is now the central Sahara.
Lead author Paul Sereno likened them to herons, creatures that also hunt for fish in shallow water and possess bodies well-suited for semi-aquatic lifestyles. “I believe this animal primarily fished in around 3 feet of water,” he mentioned in an email to NPR, noting its ability to stand in up to 6 feet of water without floating.
“The rivers of that era were teeming with large fish,” Sereno stated, some of which were over 9 feet in length — a substantial meal for a sizable predator.
