Ibrahim teases “an exciting 2022” for Spinosaurus

[stargatedalek]

The feet are known, they show evidence of webbing and the fourth toe was enlarged and weight bearing. This was in the 2014 information, many manufacturers continue to goof this however.

[GojiraGuy1954]

I think it's that docu that Ibrahim teased. Either that, the sail, or the arms.

[Sim]

The feet are known, they show evidence of webbing and the fourth toe was enlarged and weight bearing. This was in the 2014 information, many manufacturers continue to goof this however.

More precisely the toe claws of Spinosaurus had flat bottoms.


As for what the new information of Spinosaurus is, I wonder if it's the sail shape and/or additional species of Spinosaurus based on those weirdly shaped vertebrae (the very robust and very thin ones) that haven't been described yet?

[Fembrogon]

The feet are known, as mentioned above; however, iirc the front limbs are not, apart from a scant few bones. Maybe the arms & hands have been found? That would go a long way to determining Spinosaurus's locomotion methods.

[Concavenator]

I thought Spinosaurus is more fragmentary than it really is, but then I looked for skeletals and found this one:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dinosaurs/comments/m9cahe/spinosaurus_skeletal_by_miyess/

I think that, at this point, it's known from fairly adequate remains, even if some were destroyed it's not like those parts were never found. In any case, Spinosaurus no longer has a fragmentary status, and regardless of Ibrahim saying "it will have an exciting 2022", I highly doubt the general picture of the creature will change wildly. Looking at the skeletal, the most obvious part that's missing are the forelimbs, but I would be surprised if those were very different from any other spinosaurids. Perhaps they have found those, and while it would still be a relevant finding, it would clearly not have the same level of impact the 2014 and 2020 discoveries had. My best bet is they've found a complete sail/ hump so finally its shape is known. In fact, if this upcoming discovery affects its anatomy, I can't imagine it being anything different than the sail shape. Perhaps the shape will be helpful in understanding its function.

I'm naturally intrigued by these news and I'm greatly looking forward to them, but I would be surprised if the image we currently have (a giant piscivorous theropod that spent most of its time in the water and was very well adapted to that lifestyle but that sometimes went to land and moved bipedally there, as the 2020 reconstruction suggests) will change a lot.

[suspsy]

I wouldn't be concerned about the overall appearance of Spinosaurus changing this year. Ibrahim may well have uncovered more of the arms or the skull or the torso. One thing that could definitely change, however, would be the shape of the sail. Perhaps it really was shaped like a half-sphere instead of an M.

[Sim]

I think that, at this point, it's known from fairly adequate remains, even if some were destroyed it's not like those parts were never found. In any case, Spinosaurus no longer has a fragmentary status, and regardless of Ibrahim saying "it will have an exciting 2022", I highly doubt the general picture of the creature will change wildly.

Spinosaurus is only known from fragmentary specimens, and contrary to the skeletal you linked to, it's not clear to which spinosaurid species some of the "Spinosaurus" remains belong to.  There are three different thicknesses of sail-backed vertebrae known so it looks like there was at least three different spinosaurid species with large "sails".  There is also two different skull forms known, and it's not known which species they belong to.  Spinosaurus is still fragmentary.

My best bet is they've found a complete sail/ hump so finally its shape is known. In fact, if this upcoming discovery affects its anatomy, I can't imagine it being anything different than the sail shape.

I think if this is a new discovery concerning Spinosaurus it would be something to do with the sail, or the skull.  Perhaps it will be one or two additional species of Spinosaurus based on the different vertebrae and/or skull forms.  Or maybe it's like you said, finding out the shape of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus's sail.

[Faelrin]

I have to agree with @Sim. On top of that it is a mess with some specimens having been assigned to different species over the years, which may or may not belong to Spinosaurus. At this point in time, FSAC-KK 11888 is easily the best preserved specimen that we know of, and even that is still very much incomplete, and a subadult as well. It is the one where the legs, feet, and tail, etc come from though.

Anyways I found this (strange they are using an outdated animation/reconstruction though):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWW1hp7cDV4

I guess we'll find out more by then (edit: February 9th).

[HD-man]

In reference to "Spinosaurus : Lost Giant of the Cretaceuous", I like that Bonadonna updated his 2014 reconstruction: https://www.tobincenter.org/box-office/2022-06/spinosaurus-lost-giant

[grantharding]

I'm hoping for a reveal that it had a head crest, like a basilisk.

[DerbesSchuhwerk]

Something like that maybe?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ywEIuk6Gfk

[Concavenator]

...

https://mobile.twitter.com/NizarIbrahimPhD/status/1502742202337968129?cxt=HHwWgoC-9caE6NopAAAA

[MLMjp]

...

https://mobile.twitter.com/NizarIbrahimPhD/status/1502742202337968129?cxt=HHwWgoC-9caE6NopAAAA

Everyone, prepare your "this isn't even my final form" memes.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Unless they found a complete skeleton or mostly so, skeleton then it's just another tweak..

[dyno77]

Iv seen the cast of spinosaurus a while back in a exhibit which also had Tristan the t rex in another room ,both in the berlin nhm.
Its skull was really impressive and large as well,among the most impressive dinosaur skulls iv ever seen.
Idk what the new updates could be but i doubt they are anything major ,still something is off about its hind legs, in my view,they are still to small and thin in comparison it the rest of its large frame...
No other dinosaur has such short slender legs in comparison to its body ,not even any ankylosaur...their legs are much more robust.... more complete skeletons are required to finally solve the appearance of spinosaurus..

[Fembrogon]

More complete remains of the forelimbs would be significant, of only to further (dis)prove which theorized methods of locomotion were feasible for the animal.

[suspsy]

The leg size has been confirmed, despite all the skepticism. But a complete or nearly complete arm would indeed shed a great deal more light on Spinosaurus.

[MLMjp]

It's coming this week..

https://twitter.com/tetaneuron/status/1505915350122172417?s=21

https://twitter.com/nizaribrahimphd/status/1505929535908462598?s=21

In the second one Ibrahim answered to someone asking "if they will be anything in less that two weeks"( refering to Spino) and Ibrahim said yes.

[MLMjp]

Here it is, not an image change for Spinosaurus unfortunately, but a study over the density of it´s bones as well as its relatives Suchomimus and Baryonyx. Revealing that Spinosaurus and Baryonyx had hight density bones as an adaptation to hunt underwater. Suchomimus on the other hand, had a lower density.

Original paper (paywalled unfortunately): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04528-0

National geographic article: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/spinosaurus-had-penguin-like-bones-a-sign-of-hunting-underwater



Honestly nothing groundbreaking if you ask me. Dare I say this is more relevant for Baryonyx and Suchomimus as we usually see those as surface hunters but it seems the former was also adapted for hunting underwater. The inclusion of paddle-like tails makes sense for Baryonyx, but I don't really see the point in Suchomimus honestly.

[Stegotyranno420]

Awesome!