Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus (spined lizard)

Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordata
Class- Spinosaurida
Order- Saurischia
Suborder- Theropoda
Clade- Megalosauria
Family- Spinosauridue
Subfamily- Spinosaurinae
Genus- Spinosaurus

Diet: Carnivore

Height: 17 to 21 feet

Length: 38 to 57 feet

Weight: 4 to 12 tons

Time of habitation: Through out the Cretaceous period 112 to 97 million years ago

Place of habitation: North Africa


The first Spinosaurus was found in Egypt in 1912 then named and described in 1915 by German paleontologist and aristocrat Ernst Stromer. Sadly however the original remains were destroyed in an Allied bombing run over Berlin.

Spinosaurus is said to have eaten large fish and lived in a similar fashion to modern day crocodiles, on both land and in the water. Spinosaurus gets it's name from the tall vertebrate along it's back that could extend upwards to lengths as tall as six feet! There is speculation that the sail could have been used as a thermal regulator. It would have released heat on hot days and absorbed heat on cool days. There is a possibility that the sail was used as a display to attract a mate as well as to intimidate other species of animal. There is slight speculation that the sail could instead have been a hump to allow for more muscle mass.

Unlike the T-rex the Spinosaurus had long powerful arms measuring five feet long. To date Spinosaurus is the largest theropod found, it is even larger than Gigantosaurus! Despite being the largest how ever, it had one of the lightest builds. The skull of the Spinosaurus resembles that of modern day crocodiles in shape. The teeth of the Spinosaurus are different from those of other theropods in that they are cone shaped and the serrations on it's teeth are considerably smaller.

Spinosaurus is thought to have more than likely eaten large fish and in times where aquatic resources were depleted, it is thought that the Spinosaurs scavenged and hunted prey both large and small. Despite major depiction as a biped it is sometimes thought to have been an occasional quadruped.
With all these advantages it is no wonder that Spinosaurus roamed the earth for 15 million years!