Spinosaurus aegyptiacus skeleton being fitted for display . Picture credit: Mike Hettwer/National Geographic
Just a quick post to briefly describe what is possibly the most exciting fossil-related news of 2014. Without all the hype piled onto the story by the mainstream press, here's why Spinosaurus was different from other dinosaurs:
- Nostrils higher up on head than on strictly terrestrial dinosaurs
- Long neck and trunk shift weight onto knee joint to balance in water
- Short, solid hind limbs
- Flat bottomed pedal claws for swimming
- Dorsal sail covered in skin for displaying in and out of water
This massive predator was adapted for long-term aquatic habitation. Here's how it would have looked when it was alive on Earth, 97 million years ago:
Picture credit: National Geographic
If you want to read the original research paper, you can find it here.
