Thread by @weatherindia

#VillainDinosaur from Jurassic Park III, the #Spinosaurus, Was a River Monster: New Study

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- by @kun5k

(Artwork: Davide Bonadonna/Nature)

#JurassicPark

🦖A team of researchers from the University of Portsmouth recently collected some fossilised remains from the site of an ancient river bed in Morocco.

🦖Post analysis, the fossils were identified as the teeth of the #Spinosaurusaegyptiacus—the very same dinosaur that played the main villain in the movie @JurassicPark III.

Yes, you heard that right!

🦖Until recently, #dinosaurs were believed to be creatures that lived exclusively on land.

But in recent years, scientists have repeatedly found Spinosaurus remains in the #KemKem river system, which flowed through the #SaharaDesert about 100 million years ago.

🦖While these discoveries cast doubts on the land-exclusive theory of dinosaurs, the nail in the coffin was hammered earlier this year, when researchers discovered a fossil of this mega predator’s tail, which appeared to be well adapted to an aquatic lifestyle.

Now, the 1,200 teeth found in the same region have added to the mounting evidence that indicates the 15-metre long, six-tonne beast was actually a water-dwelling colossus.

(📸:Diego Mattarelli/Nature)

🦖Speaking of the latest discovery, David Martill, Professor of Palaeobiology at the University of Portsmouth, said: "The huge number of teeth we collected in the prehistoric river bed reveals that Spinosaurus was there in huge numbers...

...accounting for 45 per cent of the total dental remains. We know of no other location where such a mass of dinosaur teeth have been found in bone-bearing rock.

"From this research, we are able to confirm this location as the place where this gigantic dinosaur not only lived, but also died. The results are fully consistent with the idea of a truly water-dwelling, ‘river monster’."