When we say Spinosaurus we think about spine. Come and check our five spectacular Spinosaurus facts for kids.
If you watched Jurassic Park 3 you may be familiar with this dinosaur already, as the terrifying Spinosaurus played a big role. The Spinosaurus was a giant dinosaur that grew up to 18 m in length. It is thought that the Spinosaurus probably walked on two legs and occasionally would have used all four legs too.
The skull of this scary dinosaur was roughly 1.75 metres long. That is the same length as the average sized human! The Tyrannosaurus Rex, may be known as the King of the dinosaurs, but the Spinosaurus beat the T-Rex in size.
During this time the Tyrannosaurus rex and Giganotosaurus also roamed the Earth. This was over 100 million years ago. The Cretaceous period ended with the extinction of most dinosaurs including the Spinosaurus and came right after the Jurassic period.
Fossils of the Spinosaurus have been found in North Africa, telling us this is probably where they lived and hunted. The Spinosaurus lived in large bodies of water on the North African coast. Today you will not see water in these areas as they have since dried up.
Palaeontologists think that the Spinosaurus could swim due to their physical features. Some of these features are webbed feet,sharp teeth, dense bones and nostrils near the top of their snouts. All these features made it possible for the Spinosaurus to swim in deep water and breathe at the same time.
The Spinosaurus is the only dinosaur known to palaeontologists that could swim. How incredible is that? The Spinosaurus also had a long tail which was quite flexible. This would have helped to propel it along as it swam.
The Spinosaurus had powerful jaws with sharp teeth that allowed it to tear flesh from its prey. The Spinosaurus had around 7 teeth at the front of its mouth, and 12 extra teeth at the back. The Spinosaurus had a unique diet as it ate both meat and fish. The Spinosaurus usually ate fish from the water where they would hunt for prey.
Fish that the Spinsoaurus may have eaten are sharks and sawfish. The Spinosaurus also had sharp, curved claws which would have helped when hunting prey. The Spinosaurus would not have eaten large dinosaurs, instead it would hunt smaller ones.
We can’t talk about the Spinosaurus and not mention its big bony fin. Afterall, that is what it is named after. The Spinsoaurua had a magnificent fin coming out of its back. This fin is also known as a sail. The sail was made up of spiky shaped bones which were joined together by a layer of skin. These spiky bones were attached to the Spinsoaurus’ spine. This sail could reach up to 7 feet in height.
Scientists are still unsure as to what the sail was used for. They think it may have been used to control its body temperature. The sail may have also been used to scare off any other predators who were brave enough to compete against the Spinosaurus for food.
We hope you enjoyed learning more things about Spinosaurus as much as we loved teaching you about them. Now that you know how majestic this dinosaur is, you can move on to learn about other dinosaurs, animals and birds like: Albertosaurus, Herbivorous Dinosaurs, Swimming Dinosaurs, Carnivorous Dinosaurs, Flying Dinosaurs, Extinct Animal, Dinosaurs, Jurassic Park, Dinosaurs Facts, Fossils, Mammoth, Octopuses, Seals, Weasels, Dolphins, Kangaroos, Reindeer, Leopards and Jaguars, Rabbits, Turtles, Nocturnal Animals and Flamingos.
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