• Fossil discovery reveals specialized fish-eating adaptations in new dinosaur species The most arresting feature of this new species is its “scimitar-shaped” crest. • A team of 20 paleontologists has announced the discovery of a new dinosaur species, Spinosaurus mirabilis, in a remote region of the Nigerien Sahara. • The discovery of this prehistoric predator is rewriting the closing chapters of the dinosaur era. • Led by University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno, the expedition braved the sun-scorched central Sahara to unearth a creature that looks like a nightmare from a riverbank. • “Hell Heron” of the Sahara The most arresting feature of this new species is its “scimitar-shaped” crest. • When the team first plucked fragments of the skull from the desert floor in 2019, they didn’t even recognize what they were looking at.
Article Summaries:
- A team of 20 paleontologists led by University of Chicago’s Paul Sereno has described a new dinosaur species, Spinosaurus mirabilis, from the Nigerien Sahara. The fossils, uncovered in 2019 and 2022, reveal a large theropod with a distinctive scimitar‑shaped cranial crest likely covered in keratin and used for display. CT scans show specialized “interdigitating” teeth and sturdy legs adapted for wading in inland river systems, indicating a fish‑eating lifestyle rather than deep‑sea swimming. The 100‑ton collection will be housed in Niamey’s new zero‑energy Museum of the River, and a 3‑D reconstruction and crest replica will debut at the Chicago Children’s Museum. The study was published in Science on Feb. 19.
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