Overview
- Paleontologists led by Paul Sereno formally described the species in Science on Feb. 19, identifying the first unequivocal new Spinosaurus in more than a century.
- The dinosaur bears a large scimitar-shaped cranial crest about 20 inches tall that researchers infer was sheathed in keratin and used for visual display.
- Skull anatomy shows interdigitating upper and lower teeth adapted to trap slippery prey, and estimates put the animal at roughly 12 meters long and 5–7 tons.
- The fossils were excavated at the remote Jenguebi site in Niger, with initial fragments found in 2019 and additional material recovered in 2022, then CT‑scanned and digitally reconstructed.
- The authors argue the inland context and morphology support a river‑wading predator and propose a stepwise spinosaurid radiation culminating in shallow‑water specializations, with public replicas slated for display in Niamey and at the Chicago Children’s Museum on March 1.