Newly discovered horned dinosaur looked like a unicorn from hell
Spinosaurus mirabilis It was a force that could not be ignored.
Spinosaurus mirabilis They moved away from their inland habitats to hunt aquatic prey.
Millions of years before the Sahara became a desert, it was a vibrant ecosystem. Adjacent to the ancient Tethys Ocean, which split the supercontinent Pangea, the region was home to giant dinosaurs, including a newly discovered fearsome predator that would have been equally deadly on land and at sea.
This terrifying creature Spinosaurus mirabilis, It was 10 to 14 meters tall and had a huge blade-like crest on its crown. The findings are detailed in a paper published today. science, The new bone species was discovered almost by chance in a known fossil hotspot. But the area is so remote that no researchers had been there for decades, until University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno and his colleagues arrived in 2019. Locals led the researchers to a spot where they found several black fossils in the sand, which turned out to be a treasure trove of fossils, some of them ancient. S. mirabilis.
“We knew it was the jaw of a carnivorous dinosaur,” says Daniel Vidal, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago and co-author of the new paper.
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This discovery provides new insight into the evolution of spinosaurids, members of a group that includes: S. mirabilisand revealed that some were able to hunt both on land and at sea. Emerging from its inland habitat, this newly discovered dinosaur may have foraged for prey by walking in shallow water, like a more ferocious and larger version of modern herons.
“This is very similar [previously discovered Spinosaurids] “But it’s different at the species level, and it’s landlocked. I think that’s one of the more important points of this paper, after acknowledging that this is a great new species,” Sereno says.
Researchers returned to the desert in 2022 and discovered other parts. S. Mirabilis. Vidal created a three-dimensional model of the bone on the spot, allowing the team to begin assembling the dinosaur in real time.
“We actually got our first glimpse of what this new species looked like before the excavation was complete,” Vidal says. “That was exactly what 21st century paleontology could do.”
These models helped researchers identify the top of the head. S. mirabilis. It was so huge at 50 centimeters that it puzzled the team at first. Researchers had no idea what it was. However, once it was identified as a coat of arms, it became one of the main pieces of evidence that: S. mirabilis It was an undiscovered species of the spinosauridae. These conspicuous crests, which were covered with a layer of brightly colored keratin, may have provided humans with multiple advantages. Mirabilis, Perhaps by attracting the attention of potential mates and driving away competitors.
All spinosaurids had impressive head prints, but none were as “impressive” and “conspicuous” as the spinosaurids. S. mirabilissays Roger Benson, curator of paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, who was not involved in the study. Benson added: “We’re really excited to see more complete specimens of spinosaurids” to better understand their unique body proportions.
Other findings from the skull and leg bones of the new species include S. mirabilis He was a formidable semi-aquatic hunter. Thanks to its interlocking conical teeth and long legs, this dinosaur would have been able to not only hunt on land, but also wade in shallow waters and pick sea creatures from the water.
According to Sereno and his team, these anatomical features and S. mirabilis This may be the final nail in the coffin for the old paleontological theory that spinosaurids were strictly aquatic dinosaurs.
“This was the end of an expedition that may never be matched in the history of paleontology,” Sereno says. “It will be remembered as one of the great expeditions.”
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