These School Bus-Sized Dinosaurs Once Roamed The Sahara Desert
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Archeologists at the University of Chicago have discovered the remains of several bus-sized dinosaurs in the Sahara Desert of Niger. The specimens are the first new Spinosaurus species to be identified in over 100 years. These massive dinosaurs lived in what is now North Africa during the Late Cretaceous period. This was roughly 100 to 90 million years ago.
Dinosaur expert Paul Sereno was inspired to explore the remote area after reading a note written by a French geologist in the mid‑20th century. The note mentioned a dinosaur tooth found in the region. There were no photographs or other evidence. Still, Sereno and his team still decided to investigate the area in 2022. They were not disappointed.
The team unearthed extensive fossil remains, including bones from the new Spinosaurus species. They named it S. mirabilis. It means "amazing" in Latin. The fossils of S. mirabilis came from several individuals. They included parts of the jawbones, teeth, and a long, low snout. The scientists also found vertebrae from the neck, back, and tail. There were also fragments of limb bones, such as the femur and toes.
But what set S. mirabilis apart from other Spinosaurus species was a blade-shaped crest. It jutted 20 inches (50.8 cm) from its head. This dramatic feature may have helped the dinosaurs recognize friends — or rivals — from a distance.
Most of the S. mirabilis fossils found belonged to juveniles. Based on the skull fossils, the researchers believe these young predators measured about 26 feet (8 m) long. This is about as long as a typical school bus. However, their full adult size remains a mystery.
Previous Spinosaurus species had been found in areas near the ocean. This suggests they were strong swimmers. However, the S. mirabilis was found hundreds of miles from the ocean. Its bird-like skeleton also suggests it was not a strong swimmer. Sereno speculates that this predator may have lived along rivers and used its long, low snout to catch fish in shallow water.
The researchers published their findings in the journal Science on February 19, 2026. The original fossils have been returned to Niger. However, replicas of the skull and its blade-shaped crest are on display at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Sereno hopes they will spark children’s curiosity about prehistoric life.
Resources: Phys.org, wttw.com, biologicalsciences.uchicago.edu
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80 Comments
2518108 dayscool
lainers9 daysSo cool! Never knew that.
rufojysuroma9 daysS. mirabilis(The Spinosaurus) may have been huge! Probably the size of the titania boa
degatejedani7 daystitanio boas are huge like, great white shark strangle and eat huge!!
ridamidenare9 daysit will probably eat all of the fish because it eats big fish so maybe a shark or something
fudgebrownie10 daysI will be cool for it to be still alive, well, it doesn't hurt us, right? It only eats fish, I'll kind of feel bad for the fish.- cjplays279 daysOmg so cool
gyniwazibuno10 dayshi omg so cool
vycanumunaly10 daysthat's awesome!!!
zenylobisifu11 dayscool
hi2428123411 daysThis is cool but scary if it were a live like.
ggwguy11 daysI am still contemplating on this because the Spinosaurus was an aquatic dinosaur so why would the Spinosaurus start adapting to the hot tempetures of the Sahara desert- gokoremy-1763041580899 daysmillions of years ago there would have been water
ionfwthemm1210 daysThe spinosaurus is a semi-aquatic dinosaur. It adapts to hot, humid mangrove forests in Africa roughly 112–93 million years ago. that lived in the hot, humid mangrove forests of North Africa, roughly 112–93 million years ago. While specialized for hunting fish in water—possessing dense bones for buoyancy control—there is ongoing debate over whether it was a fully submerged pursuit predator or a shallow-water wader.- rufojysuroma9 dayslegit nerd
