Giant stork dinosaur Spinosaurus, which lived in North Africa 100 million years ago, fed by pulling fish off the shoreline, study shows
- Spinosaurus was one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs that reached up to 49 feet
- Previous theories have suggested that they actively hunted prey by swimming in the sea
- British and American researchers now believe it was more like a hedgehog or stork
- It would have stayed mainly on the coastal area and eaten fish and small prey on the land
Giant carnivorous dinosaur Spinosaurus snatched fish off the shoreline while also hunting for small prey on land, according to a new study on its behavior.
Previous theories have suggested that the 100-meter animal that lived 100 million years ago was a ‘largely aquatic predator’ that used its long tail to swim and search for fish in the water.
The new study from Queen Mary University of London, based on the analysis of other dinosaurs and lizards that lived on land or at sea, found little evidence to support the idea of the massive dinosaur as a water robbery.
They found that it was not well adapted to the water in life, and more like a ‘heron or stork’ creeping the shoreline for fish and small prey.
Live reconstruction of a Spinosaurus waving and fishing in the water. Giant carnivorous dinosaur Spinosaurus snatched fish off the shoreline while also hunting for small prey on land, according to a new study on its behavior
Saddle-billed storks in Africa that search with their beaks partly underwater – Spinosaurus may have eaten something similar on the coast for animals and fish
The ecology and biology of the massive carnivorous animal, first discovered by paleontologists in 1915, has amazed researchers for decades.
Dr David Hone, senior lecturer at Queen Mary and lead author of the project, said that the analysis of other creatures – living and extinct – reveals evidence of heron-like behavior, but no one supports it as a predator in the water.
“Some studies suggest that it actively chases fish in water,” Hone said, “but although they could swim, they would not have been fast or efficient enough to do so effectively,” he added.
“Our findings suggest that the wading idea is much better supported, even if it is slightly less exciting,” Hone explained.
Researchers have studied the probable head position of Spinosaurus in the water and determined that it is not suitable to pursue fish in the water.
Co-author Tom Holtz, senior lecturer in Vertebrae Paleontology, University of Maryland, added that the creature is a ‘bizarre animal, even by dinosaur standards’.
He said the Spinosaurus was “different from what is still alive today”, adding that “it will always be difficult to understand its ecology.”
‘We tried to use the evidence we have to get the best out of the way we live. And what we found does not match the characteristics that one would expect in a predator in the water such as an otter, sea lion or short-necked plesiosaurus. ‘
One of the most important pieces of evidence the researchers discovered was related to the dinosaur’s ability to swim.
Spinosaurus has been shown to be a less efficient swimmer than a crocodile, but it also has fewer tail muscles than a crocodile, and because of its size, it has much more water in the water.
Dr Hone said: ‘Crocodiles are excellent in water compared to terrestrial animals, but are not as specialized in aquatic life and are not able to actively hunt for fish.
“If Spinosaurus had less muscle on its tail, less efficiency and more resistance, it’s hard to see how these dinosaurs could chase fish in a way that crocodiles can’t,” he added.
Dr. Holtz said despite this, the evidence suggests that the creature is partially or even mostly fed into the water – more than any other large dinosaur.
Researchers have found that the Spinosaurus (fossil on the left in the photo) looks more like a stork or heron (top right) than the crocodile (bottom right)
Reconstructed skeleton of a medium-sized Spinosaurus displaying its famous sail back and tail plume
“But that’s a different assertion than the fact that it’s a fast swimmer chasing water trials,” he added.
Although Dr Hone concludes: ‘Although our study gives us a clearer picture of the ecology and behavior of Spinosaurus, there are still many outstanding questions and details to investigate for future study.
‘We need to keep revising our ideas as we gather further evidence and data about these unique dinosaurs. This will not be the last word on the biology of these amazing animals. ‘
The findings were published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica.
SPINOSAURUS: ONE OF THE LARGEST CARNAVOOR DINOSAURS
Originally found in Egypt, Spinosaurus is thought to be one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs in existence – probably more than 49 feet long.
Spinosaurus (right) has a T-rex in the movie Jurassic Park III. The 50-foot, seven-ton Spinosaurus was the largest known carnivorous dinosaur and lived in North Africa 100 million years ago.
Thoughts about its feeding behavior vary, and some studies suggest that it was an active predator in the water that chased fish into the sea.
Other studies claim that it was a hedgehog-like coastal feeder – grabbing fish and small prey without venturing out to sea to actively seek out fish.
It lived in the late Cretaceous – 99 to 93.5 million years ago and lived in present-day North Africa.
There are two known species of Spinosaurus mentioned so far:
- Spinosaurus aegyptiacus or Egyptian spine lizard
- The disputed Spinosaurus maroccanus or Moroccan spine lizard
The first known Spinosaurus fossils were destroyed during the Second World War by the Allied bombardments, which hindered paleontologists’ attempts to understand the unusual creatures.
More recently, the dinosaur gained notoriety in the 2001 film Jurassic Park III, where he fights and defeats a Tyrannosaurus rex.