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New 'scimitar-crested' Spinosaurus species discovered in the central Sahara

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A paper published in Science describes the discovery of Spinosaurus mirabilis, a new spinosaurid species found in Niger. A 20-person team led by Paul Sereno, Ph.D., Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago, unearthed the find at a remote locale in the central Sahara, adding important new fossil finds to the closing chapter of spinosaurid evolution.

The scimitar-shaped crest of S. mirabilis was so large and unexpected that the paleontologists initially didn't recognize it for what it was when they plucked it and some jaw fragments from the desert surface in November 2019.

An ‘astonishingly’ large new dinosaur species has been discovered in the Sahara

This school-bus-sized predator was so unusual that scientists didn't recognise it at first

Palaeontologists have discovered a colossal new species of dinosaur in a remote part of the Sahara. Named Spinosaurus mirabilis – meaning ‘astonishing’ Spinosaurus in Latin – the giant lived in what is now Niger more than 95 million years ago, far from the coastal regions where similar fish-hunting dinosaurs are usually found.

As long as a school bus and weighing several tonnes, the new species is easily distinguishable from other spinosaurs by the scimitar-shaped crest on its head. The feature was so unusual that researchers didn’t recognise it when they first unearthed it in 2019, only realising its significance after returning in 2022 to find more specimens.

Astonishing Spinosaur Unearthed in The Sahara Is Unlike Any Seen Before

A new Spinosaurus species has been unearthed from the Saharan desert, and its skull bears a magnificent crest never seen before on this kind of dinosaur.

Paleontologists have named it Spinosaurus mirabilis, meaning 'wonderful spine lizard'. We heartily agree.

The discovery reveals more than just the dinosaur's beauty, however. Spinosaurus have mostly been found in coastal deposits, while this new specimen hails from deep inland in Niger, hundreds of kilometers from any ocean.

Even the paleontology team, led by Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago, was caught off guard.

"This find was so sudden and amazing, it was really emotional for our team," Sereno says.

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