Ibrahim teases “an exciting 2022” for Spinosaurus

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

The fact that Baryonyx buoyancy was closer to Spinosaurus than Suchomimus, apparently, is the only surprise.
It's only news otherwise because some people refuse to believe that Spinosaurus was aquatic not terrestrial.

[suspsy]

I'm rather relieved that it's not another image change. I just want it to finally be confirmed that Spinosaurus absolutely looked the way it's been depicted as of 2020.

[HD-man]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they already establish that Spinosaurus had high density bones in 2014?

[Stegotyranno420]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they already establish that Spinosaurus had high density bones in 2014?

From my understanding it only slightly increased with Spinosaurus in both the actual density and research.
Meanwhile this one is more focused on the other Spinosaurids

[HD-man]

https://twitter.com/NizarIbrahimPhD/status/1507060223583862790

*This is a sneak peek - more information on this project will be available soon.*
The world's most accurate Spinosaurus skeletal mount, in a palaeontology exhibition like no other.
The most iconic dinosaurs in the world - like you have never seen them before. Opening in 2022

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

This does also mean that the CollectA Baryonyx is more accurate than the Safari 2019 and Favorite CO Fukui Museum Exclusive ones.

[stargatedalek]

The fact that Baryonyx buoyancy was closer to Spinosaurus than Suchomimus, apparently, is the only surprise.
It's only news otherwise because some people refuse to believe that Spinosaurus was aquatic not terrestrial.

Even then, it's not so much a surprise as a confirmation of a less popular idea.

Suchomimus is the only, and I mean only, Spinosaur known from inland regions (an inland river delta). Baryonyx is from a temperate island chain, Spinosaurus is from a coastline and coastal delta... Irritator is even from tropical islets.

Their anatomy and habitat were always pointing towards these sorts of behaviours. But tradition often speaks louder than outsiders when you study rocks for a living.

[Concavenator]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they already establish that Spinosaurus had high density bones in 2014?

Totally true, I remember this "discovery" being already known. However, it's interesting to learn that Baryonyx may have been more aquatic than previously thought. This might also suggest that this guy's current depictions are now probably obsolete, as in it probably should be restored with a deeper, flatter tail more akin to Spinosaurus rather than to Suchomimus (could make sense since Baryonyx's tail essentially remains to be discovered). Surprised to see this disparity in lifestyles between these two (Suchomimus and Baryonyx) genera, bearing in mind they are more closely related to each other than they are to Spinosaurus.

BTW, in retrospective, I realize how much of a clikbait this topic's title was (not blaming @MLMjp of course, but rather Ibrahim for saying this discovery was going to be exciting for Spinosaurus, would have been more correct to say it would be exciting for Baryonyx, but perhaps this wouldn't have had that many people hyped...?)

[JohannesB]

I hope this isn't too indulgent on my part, but the skeletal shown in the message from Ibrahim et al. inspired me to make a digital sketch (work in progress), and I wanted to share in this thread.

[Stegotyranno420]

Spectacular Spinosaurus @JohannesB ! I always love me a good Spinosaurus

[JohannesB]

Thank you, @Stegotyranno420

[Faelrin]

@JohannesB Beautiful illustration you did there. And that skeletal is really interesting as well. Thanks for sharing here.

[Duna]

That's a wonderful picture, @Johannes, supercool.

[JohannesB]

Thank you all. But of course all thanks goes to the intrepid paleontologists who went out there and did all the hard work Spinosaurus really is becoming one of my favorite dinosaurs, both through the many ways it defies "convention", as well as its beauty. All this inspired me to make a digital painting (work in progress, as stated: more detail is slowly being added) of this magnificent beast.

I will move this to another thread, so as to not derail this one with my own things.

[Sim]

I'm sceptical of the dip in the back in the reconstructions of Baryonyx and Suchomimus.  Even if for Suchomimus they show it as being part of the "preserved elements", it's absent from skeletal mounts of Suchomimus and it contradicts previous skeletals of Suchomimus that show preserved parts.  My suspicion is that the preservation of these parts in Suchomimus isn't good and what has been shown as preserved parts are the author's guess at how the parts fit together.  The dip seems unnatural to me on low-spined Baryonyx and Suchomimus.

As for Baryonyx and Suchomimus having a tail similar to Spinosaurus, I guess it's possible for Baryonyx considering the new information about its bone density although it is less derived than Spinosaurus so such a feature might not have evolved yet especially considering how a more typical theropod tail would have already been good for swimming.  Baryonyx also seems to have been more terrestrial, or versatile, than Spinosaurus as suggested by the Baryonyx specimen with iguanodontid bones in its stomach.

For Suchomimus though I doubt it had a tail like Spinosaurus and Jaime Headden's skeletal of it suggests Suchomimus tail bones with typical theropod morphology have been found:

  (Image source)

[MLMjp]

I'm sceptical of the dip in the back in the reconstructions of Baryonyx and Suchomimus.  Even if for Suchomimus they show it as being part of the "preserved elements", it's absent from skeletal mounts of Suchomimus and it contradicts previous skeletals of Suchomimus that show preserved parts.  My suspicion is that the preservation of these parts in Suchomimus isn't good and what has been shown as preserved parts are the author's guess at how the parts fit together.  The dip seems unnatural to me on low-spined Baryonyx and Suchomimus.

As for Baryonyx and Suchomimus having a tail similar to Spinosaurus, I guess it's possible for Baryonyx considering the new information about its bone density although it is less derived than Spinosaurus so such a feature might not have evolved yet especially considering how a more typical theropod tail would have already been good for swimming.  Baryonyx also seems to have been more terrestrial, or versatile, than Spinosaurus as suggested by the Baryonyx specimen with iguanodontid bones in its stomach.

For Suchomimus though I doubt it had a tail like Spinosaurus and Jaime Headden's skeletal of it suggests Suchomimus tail bones with typical theropod morphology have been found:

Agree, I also wasn't really convinced on those specific assumptions.

[JohannesB]

I think Hone & Holtz 2021: Evaluating the ecology of Spinosaurus: shoreline generalist or aquatic pursuit specialist? still might be valid? I don't know how much the findings about bone density in Spinosaurus might throw a spanner in the works of Hone &Holtz though.

[stargatedalek]

I think Hone & Holtz 2021: Evaluating the ecology of Spinosaurus: shoreline generalist or aquatic pursuit specialist? still might be valid? I don't know how much the findings about bone density in Spinosaurus might throw a spanner in the works of Hone &Holtz though.

That paper was nonsense from the get-go. Referenced really terrible skeletals with no justification for their designs. A really blatant example of a paper being made to support a desired conclusion.

[Shane]

Speaking of studies that at least seemed like nonsense from the get go, whatever happened to that paper from...I think it was Henderson, that said Spinosaurus couldn't swim because it would tip over based on computer models (I may be simplifying the argument, significantly).

I know that paper predated the tail-fin discovery, did that put an end to that argument? It always seemed, in my non-expert opinion, to be starting with the desired outcome (not wanting a fully aquatic Spinosaurus) and searching for justifications to support it.

[andrewsaurus rex]

iirc the premise was that Spinosaurus floated so well that it would have great difficulty staying submerged, even if its lungs were almost totally deflated.  The other problem was the sail, which would tend to make Spino tip over on its side, unless constantly moving forward in the water.

I can certainly see the sail being a problem when maneuvering under water; it would create a lot of water resistance during  side to side turns.

Perhaps Spino spent a great deal of time swimming on the surface of the water, sunlight on its sail keeping it warm while it trolled along the surface looking to ambush prey from above.  Once prey was spotted, a quick dive, chomp and back to the surface?