The huge African predator Spinosaurus spent much of its life in the water, propelled by a paddle-like tail while hunting large fish — a “river monster,” scientists say, that showed that some dinosaurs invaded the aquatic realm.
Scientists on Wednesday announced the discovery of fossil bones from the tail of a Spinosaurus in southeastern Morocco that provided a deeper understanding of the appearance, lifestyle and capabilities of the longest meat-eating dinosaur on record.
“Spinosaurus had a highly specialized tail — a propulsive structure that would have allowed this river monster to actively pursue prey in the water column,” said University of Detroit Mercy paleontologist and anatomist Nizar Ibrahim, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature.
Photo: Reuters
Spinosaurus was a highly unusual dinosaur, and not just because of its staggering dimensions — up to 15m long and 6.4 tonnes.
The anatomy of Spinosaurus had remained mysterious for decades after crucial fossils were destroyed during World War II until the 2008 discovery of the Morocco skeleton, with the additional tail bones dug up since 2015.
Its tail was flexible with a large surface area thanks to a series of tall neural spines — different from the stiff and tapering tails of other carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex — indicating that Spinosaurus and its close relatives engaged in tail-propelled locomotion unlike any other dinosaurs.
Laboratory experiments in which a plastic model of the Spinosaurus tail was attached to a robotic swimming device showed that the tail could move laterally to create thrust and power the animal through water like a crocodile, said Harvard University fish biologist and biomechanist George Lauder, a study coauthor.
This indicates that Spinosaurus terrorized rivers and river banks as a semi-aquatic animal, not merely wading into the water waiting for fish to swim by. It might have eaten huge fish, including sharks.
“This discovery overturns decades-old ideas that non-bird dinosaurs were restricted to terrestrial environments,” said Harvard University vertebrate paleontologist and biomechanist Stephanie Pierce, a study coauthor. “So, yes, we believe that this discovery does indeed revolutionize our understanding of dinosaur biology.”
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