A photo from open sources
Paleontologists at the Fossil Lab, University of Chicago examined the found remains of the dinosaur “Spinosaurus aegyptiacus”. Spinosaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs known to science, its size exceeded the well-known tyrannosaurus. Researchers found that Spinosaurus is the only known people dinosaur adapted to life almost entirely in water.
Lived Spinosaurus aegyptiacus about 97 million years ago in lakes and rivers of northern Africa. Dinosaur had big teeth conical shape. His nostrils were located in the middle of the skull, therefore, the spinosaurus could easily submerge in water. Dinosaur Length – about 15 meters. The animal had very strong legs, with the help of which could quickly move in the river. Interesting that the center the severity of Spinosaurus was in front of the body, not in the middle. According to scientists, this gave preference to the lizard in the water, but did not contribute travel by land. Researchers believe Spinosaurus – the only dinosaur known to us, practically adapted completely to life in water.
The spinosaurus was first described in 1915 by a German paleontologist Ernst Stromer, who found several animal bones in Egypt. Shtromer prepared detailed illustrations and descriptions of his discoveries. But in April 1944, all of his collections were destroyed in the time of the bombing of Munich by the British Air Force.
Another paleontologist, Nizar Ibrahim, was looking for dinosaur remains on territory of Morocco. Once a local resident approached him and brought in a paper box are several fossilized bones. Scientist looked fragments of bones, but did not attach importance to them. He later sent them to local museum. Then, a year later, the scientist was at the Museum of Paleontology in Italy, and there, near the exhibit of the spinosaurus, Nizar Ibrahim compared seen and realized that the remains that he saw in a box in Morocco, also belong to the spinosaurus. The paleontologist drove back to Morocco, sought out the man that once brought him the remains. This a local resident showed the cave where he found them. In the cave and was Fossilized, well-preserved Spinosaurus skeleton found aegyptiacus.
After this important find, research was conducted on the found in Morocco, bones, drawings by Shtromer, photographs from other museums world to create a digital model of the skeleton of an animal. Data skeleton studies clearly indicate aquatic lifestyle animal. Sharp teeth are ideal for fishing in water, a flexible tail and small hind limbs are common in animals living in the water. The dinosaur even had a network holes in the head, identical to those of modern crocodiles – with their help, the animal feels a change in water pressure.
However, the function of the huge sail in dinosaur on the back, although researchers suspect that he is not performed no important role, and attracted individuals of the opposite gender. “This lizard is – half – duck, half – crocodile. We are not we know so far no one who would look like a spinosaurus “- said Paul Sereno.
Water Dinosaurs Cave Life
