Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus

Spinosaurus Comparison -courtesy of: wikipedia.com

Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus, "spine lizard" was discovered in Egypt in the 1910's and lived in what is now North Africa during the Cretaceous Period.  Spinosaurus is perhaps the largest theropod dinosaur to ever walk the earth at over 40 feet long and 6-20 tons. Spinosaurus was even larger than Tyrannosaurus and Giganotosaurus. Spinosaurus grew more popular after the movie: Jurassic Park 3.  Spinosaurus was most likely a bipedal carnivore which hunted large prey or fished on tidal streams.  Spinosaurus is most widely known for the distinct sail on it's back. This sail may have been used for display or to intimidate rivals. 

The skull of Spinosaurus was similar to modern day crocodiles. This may have enabled Spinosaurus to better catch fish and small aquatic reptiles. The bottom lower of Spinosaurus shows it was also well adapted to hunt larger prey. Therefore, Spinosaurus perhaps is the largest, fiercest, and surely the most awe-inspiring lizard has ever trodden on the Earth.

Artwork courtesy of M. Shiraishi

image courtesy of Professor Paul Olsen