Spinosaurus Description
Spinosaurus was a gigantic, semi-aquatic dinosaur with a crocodile-like snout, a long neck, massive arms and claws for hunting fish, and a large, sail-like structure on its back formed by towering dorsal spines. This “spine lizard” was a powerful apex predator among the rivers and lakes of North Africa during the Late Cretaceous period, using its large, paddle-like tail for swimming and its high bone density for buoyancy control.
Could You Outrun a Spinosaurus?
Spinosaurus could run at a max speed of around 25 miles per hour. Considering the proportionately small and weak legs of the Spinosaurus that’s pretty impressive. Of course, that is much faster than the average running speed of an adult human. One of the most interesting things about Spinosaurus is that it was semi-aquatic, meaning it partially lived in the water. It could swim at cruising speeds of 2.2 mph. If it was actively hunting its prey underwater it could move even faster. Spinosaurus was particularly capable of catching the prey of its choice. With its long arms and bite force of 12,000 newtons. Spinosaurus could not achieve an incredible bite force like Tyrannosaurus due to its quite weak and skinny jaw bones.
Are You Bigger Than a Spinosaurus?
While it may have not been the heaviest or widest carnivorous dinosaur, it was certainly the longest and the tallest. It could be as long as 55 feet, it could be 20 feet tall, and could weigh up to 21 tons. Although it is considered to be the largest carnivorous animal to ever roam the Earth, it was once depicted as much larger, weighing even more than the Tyrannosaurus Rex! Sadly, that has been disproved many times throughout history.
Fun Facts
- Spinosaurus was a piscivore meaning it ate primarily fish and other marine species
- It is the largest known Spinosaurid
- Our understanding of Spinosaurus is constantly changing, this is shown in earlier depiction of the creature being essentially a Tyrannosaurus but with a sail and a long snout
- The first Spinosaurus fossil remnants were discovered in Egypt and then were brought to a museum Munich, Germany, but was then destroyed by allied bombers in World War II
- Spinosaurus had webbed feet to assist in movement underwater
- Spinosaurus was not the only Spinosaurid with a paddle tail, the lesser known Ichthyovenator also had one.
Dino-mite Equations!
Question #1: What is the combined swimming speed of 9 Spinosaurus?
Answer #1
19.8 mph!
Question #2: How long would 4 Spinosaurus be lined up in a row?
Answer #2
220 feet!
Question #3: If a juvenile Spinosaurus weighed a third of the weight of an adult, how much would the juvenile weigh?
Answer #3
7 tons!
VelociLogic 