Newly discovered dinosaur species was a fish-eater with a huge horn

""A newly discovered species of large dinosaur lived in marshy areas, hunted for fish and had an impressive horn protruding from its skull. It is the first time in over 100 years that scientists have discovered a new species of Spinosaurus dinosaurs, which are large fish-eating predators that first emerged during the Jurassic period more than 140 million years ago.""

"The most obvious physical difference between the newly discovered species and its previously discovered cousins is a foot-long curved horn that protrudes from its skull. The authors speculate that the horn, or crest, may have been brightly colored, based on the texture of the fossils, and that the crest may have been used to attract or communicate with other members of the species."

""I suspect that this animal was fishing largely in about 3 feet of water," he explained in an email to NPR, although it was large enough to stand in about 6 feet of water without floating. "There were many large fish in the rivers of its day," Sereno said, including some that measured 9 feet or more in length good eating for a large predator."

Spinosaurus mirabilis measured roughly the length of a school bus and lived about 95 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. Fossils were unearthed in what is now central Sahara, in sediments indicating a marshy inland environment. The species hunted large fish in shallow water, standing in up to six feet of water and fishing largely in about three feet of water. A distinctive foot-long curved horn or crest protruded from the skull and may have been brightly colored and used for display or communication. Initial crest fossils were found during a 2019 expedition with additional specimens recovered in 2022.

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