Palaeontologists have discovered a colossal new species of dinosaur in a remote part of the Sahara. Named Spinosaurus mirabilis – meaning ‘astonishing’ Spinosaurus in Latin – the giant lived in what is now Niger more than 95 million years ago, far from the coastal regions where similar fish-hunting dinosaurs are usually found.
As long as a school bus and weighing several tonnes, the new species is easily distinguishable from other spinosaurs by the scimitar-shaped crest on its head. The feature was so unusual that researchers didn’t recognise it when they first unearthed it in 2019, only realising its significance after returning in 2022 to find more specimens.
“This find was so sudden and amazing, it was really emotional for our team,” said Paul Sereno, a professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago. Sereno led the discovery, which was published in a study in Science.
“I’ll forever cherish the moment in camp when we crowded around a laptop to look at the new species for the first time, after one member of our team generated 3D digital models of the bones we found to assemble the skull... That’s when the significance of the discovery really registered,” he added.
Previous Spinosaurus fossils have mostly been found near ancient coastlines. These dinosaurs were highly adapted for hunting and killing fish, with long snouts and conical teeth reminiscent of modern-day crocodiles.
Debate still swirls over how aquatic they really were, with some experts arguing they were powerful swimmers, while others suggest they spent much of their time paddling in shallow water.
Yet, this S. mirabilis was found hundreds of kilometres from the nearest marine shores. The team suggested that this part of Niger was once a forested landscape criss-crossed by rivers, rather than a coastal environment.
“I envision this dinosaur as a kind of ‘hell heron’ that had no problem wading on its sturdy legs into two metres (6.5ft) of water but probably spent most of its time stalking shallower traps for the many large fish of the day,” Sereno said.
Much, therefore, remains unknown about this new species and its relatives in the spinosaur family.
“This new discovery will only add to its mystique,” Steve Brusatte, a professor and palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the research, told BBC Science Focus.
“It really is a remarkable find, and what's fantastic about this is that we are still learning more about Spinosaurus. It has long been a mysterious dinosaur, but with each new fossil find, the real Spinosaurus is slowly coming into focus.”
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