{"id":3038,"date":"2021-10-18T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-18T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=3038"},"modified":"2021-10-04T04:48:58","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T04:48:58","slug":"new-dinosaur-finds-imply-european-origins-of-the-spinosaurids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/new-dinosaur-finds-imply-european-origins-of-the-spinosaurids\/","title":{"rendered":"New Dinosaur Finds Imply European Origins of the Spinosaurids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 2001 film Jurassic Park III <\/em>revealed to the world one of the most peculiar\u2014yet absolutely fearsome\u2014dinosaurs to ever walk the planet.  The main antagonist dinosaur for the movie was the Spinosaurus<\/em>: a giant meat-eating dinosaur that\u2019s bigger than the famous Tyrannosaurus rex<\/em> from the prequel movies. While this fearsome predator is locked in fiction, the actual dinosaur it\u2019s based on is far from fictitious\u2014and the truth, in this case, may be even stranger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A reimagining of what Spinosaurus aegyptiacus<\/em> may have looked like in real life showcases all the latest findings about the animal\u2014including the recent discovery of a complete tail, which until recently had remained a mystery to scientists. (Lanzas\/Wikimedia Commons, 2019) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The dinosaur clade Spinosauridae<\/em> has its name derived from Latin for \u201cspine lizard;\u201d this very feature can be seen on nearly all end-members of this group, which include the movie-famous Spinosaurus<\/em>. These carnivorous theropods are known from several fossils scattered across Africa, Europe, South America, and Asia. Common features included crocodile-like skulls with long snouts and conical teeth; what is perhaps most famous, though, is its namesake \u201cspine\u201d\u2014a vertically-extended neural spines in the vertebrae of several species, which may have been covered with skin or a hump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spinosaurids contain what may be the actual largest land predator to ever walk the Earth: the dinosaur Spinosaurus aegyptiacus<\/em>, which may have reached lengths of up to 16 m (52 ft) and may have weighed as much as 7.5 metric tons (8.3 short tons). S. aegyptiacus<\/em> is nearly a full 4 m (13 ft) longer than the longest complete T. rex<\/em> specimen, which sat at around 12.3 m (40 ft). This true behemoth of a reptile prowled the semi-aquatic biomes of what is now Egypt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus<\/em> has seen several reconstructions of its skeleton over the course of time since its initial finding. As we found more pieces of its skeleton, paleontologists were able to piece together its complete picture. Our current understanding of what may be the biggest predator to have ever lived is likely strikingly different to the antagonist in the 2001 movie Jurassic Park III<\/em>. (Bowler\/Wikimedia Commons, 2014) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

However, it appears that the Spinosaurid family is bound to keep growing as we find more and more fossils of its cousins and ancestors; that certainly seems to be the case now, with a find of not one but two potential new spinosaurids from the Wessex Formation in the Isle of Wight, an island between 3-8 km (2-5 mi) off the coast of Hampshire, England. The study which found this new pair of predators was led by the University of Southampton, and was published in the journal Scientific Reports<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ceratosuchus inferodios<\/em> (left) and Riparovenator milnerae<\/em> (right) walk across the ancient landscape of what is now the Isle of Wight, in this artistic rendering. (Hutchings, 2021) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Two new spinosaurids were identified from fragmentary fossils obtained from Chilton Chine, an area on the southwest coast of the Isle of Wight. The incomplete remains of two new spinosaurids were identified by fossil collectors: Ceratosuchops inferodios<\/em> and Riparovenator milnerae<\/em>, both of which were dated to the Early Cretaceous period at around 125 million years old. The two dinosaurs\u2019 remains may have been fragmentary at best, but scientists estimated their lengths to reach up to 9 m (30 ft), with their skulls possibly reaching a meter (3 ft) long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last-discovered spinosaurid in the United Kingdom (UK) was Baryonyx walkeri<\/em>, which was found in the Weald Clay Formation of Surrey, England, back in 1983.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The dinosaur Baryonyx walkeri<\/em> lived in what is now the United Kingdom around 125 million years ago. (Belov\/Wikimedia Commons, 2018) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

University of Southampton Ph.D. student and study lead author Chris Barker explained: \u201cWe found the skulls of [C. inferodios<\/em>] and [R. milnerae<\/em>] to differ not only from [B. walkeri<\/em>], but also one another, suggesting the UK housed a greater diversity of spinosaurids than previously thought.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Hone, co-author and paleontologist from the Queen Mary University, added: \u201cIt might sound odd to have two similar and closely related carnivores in an ecosystem, but this is actually very common for both dinosaurs and numerous living ecosystems.\u201d It remains unclear, however, if these two new dinosaurs ever lived at the same time as dinosaurs like B. walkeri<\/em>, as their fossils were believed to have fallen off a cliffside prior to being found, meaning any rough fossil dating based on the age of the rocks around them may prove inaccurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors gave C. inferodios<\/em> a specific name which means \u201chell heron.\u201d They did so in the belief that these spinosaurids functioned like what they call \u201criverbank predators,\u201d or how herons hunt near riverbanks in search of easy prey in shallow water. \u201cWith a series of low horns and bumps ornamenting the brow region, the name of [C. inferodios<\/em>] also refers to the predator\u2019s likely hunting style, which would be similar to that of a heron. […] Herons famously catch aquatic prey around the margins of waterways but their diet is far more flexible than is generally appreciated, and can include terrestrial prey too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA palaeogeographic reconstruction suggests a European origin for Spinosauridae, with at least two dispersal events into Africa,\u201d the authors said. To them, their find adds proof of a possible European origin for the spinosaurids: they funneled first into areas like what is now Niger to lead to dinosaurs like Suchomimus<\/em> tenerensis<\/em>; they then entered areas like ancient Egypt second, where the aforementioned S. aegyptiacus<\/em> would later on evolve and be found in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Suchomimus tenerensis<\/em> lived between 125 and 112 million years ago, in what is now Niger. (Belov\/Wikimedia Commons, 2018) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This does, however, pose more questions to paleontologists. The regions of Asia, Europe, and North America were still loosely connected at the time; true enough, spinosaurid fossils have been found in areas in Asia and Europe, much like in this study. However, paleontologists have yet to find clear evidence of any spinosaurids in North America, despite the fact that other dinosaur species didn\u2019t seem to have the same problem, and spread to North America just fine. Said Tom Holtz, a University of Maryland paleontologist who\u2019s unrelated to the study: \u201cThere\u2019s nothing really super-special that might have excluded them\u2014so yeah, this is a curious fact […] All we need to do is discover one tooth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the new findings seemingly leading to more questions, Barker remains positive of the situation, as his recent find is a fulfillment of a childhood dream born from a fascination with carnivorous dinosaurs from a very young age. \u201cBeing able to study something which as a kid you almost idolized\u2014I recognize how privileged I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(For more dinosaur finds from this year, check out the discovery of Australotitan cooperensis<\/em> in Australia<\/a>, followed by the discovery of Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis<\/em> in Uzbekistan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n