When even a peer - retrospect scientific paper refers to a chemical group of dinosaurs as “ outre ” you sleep together these stand out even among the terrible lounge lizard . Our cognition of spinosaurids is lacking compared to other dinosaur lineages , not helped by the fact the clappers with which the house was named were destroyed in World War II . However , a reappraisal of one specimen could help us understand the evolution of these enormous semi - aquatic marauder .
At around 15 meters ( 50 feet ) longSpinosauruswas the large terrestrial carnivore to ever live . Despite a starring role inJurassic Park III , it never accomplish the public recognition of Tyrannosaurs , perhaps because it lived in Africa and fewer fogey have been obtain . Spinosaurids are a family of around a dozen genera that share with Spinosaurus crocodile - like skulls and retracted anterior naris , indicating asemi - aquatic life-style — though that isfar from confirmed . Many , although not all , had the enormous sails on their backs that gave the original species their name .
Spinosaurids ’ organic evolution has been in particular obscure ; for 50 million years the few fossil that might be from their antecedent also have alternative explanation , go fossilist to refer to a “ spectre blood line ” . A new theme inPLOS ONEargues a turn over specimen , known as ML1190 , could partially fill the interruption .
ML1190 was discovered in 1999 in 125 million - year - former Portuguese rock , and was first described in 2011 . Several travail have been made since to show where it fits on the dinosaur kin Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Where many specimens are nothing but a individual bone or tooth , quite a lot of ML1190 has exist , but generally in bad precondition , with almost as many fragment of teeth and rib as entire bones .
Octåvio Mateus and Dario Estraviz - Lòpez of Portugal ’s NOVA School of Science and Technology argue ML1190 represents a new species , which they callIberospinus Natarioi , and consider an early spinosaurid . late descriptions have mostly moot ML1190 a member of theBaryonyxgenus , sometimesplacing itin the familiar speciesB. walkeri .
Iberospinuswas a Pisces - feeder that waded through river and swamp in hunting of food , the authors conclude , although it probably also consumed other quarry that died near riverbank or foolishly venture tight . They do not estimate a total size , but it was probably standardized in length toB. walkeri’sestimated 9 meters ( 30 feet ) .
Although many spinosaurids , include the largest , lived in Africa , the authors conclude the clade probably originate in Western Europe , and most likely from the Iberian peninsula , long before the point when high ocean level turned Iberia intoan island . Nevertheless , even ifIberospinusfills in some of the overlook chunk of clock time , 30 million old age of spinosaurid development remain a closed book , and only the find of some Jurassic fossils will fill up this in .
