An article published in the journal “Cretaceous Research” reports the discovery of hundreds of teeth of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus in the ancient Kem Kem river system, along the border between today’s Morocco and Algeria. A team of researchers collected about 1,200 fossil teeth in an ancient river bed in today’s Morocco, and analysis revealed that nearly half of them were of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. Their conclusion is that it’s evidence that about 100 million years ago, in the Cretaceous period, this dinosaur was well adapted to aquatic life, a confirmation of the thesis supported by a growing number of paleontologists.
The history of the paleontological studies of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus (photo ©Mike Bowler) is complex because it’s a species that has been at the center of discussions for years. First described in 1915, this theropod dinosaur species has been studied mainly thanks to fragmentary remains, a problem typical of the field of paleontology. As if this weren’t enough, the first specimen described was destroyed during a bombing in the course of World War II and only drawings and descriptions remain. Additional partial skeletons and fragmentary remains have been discovered over time and attributed to this species or other species causing attribution disputes such as the case of Spinosaurus maroccanus and Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis.
The idea that Spinosaurus aegyptiacus fed on fish started emerging quickly after the discovery of this species, but for many years paleontologists believed that essentially this dinosaur was a sort of fisherman that caught fish from river banks. The idea that it could move in water or even have an aquatic life is much more recent, and evidence such as the shape of the tail, suitable for pushing this animal in the water, has been reported in recent years after specific studies. Other paleontologists oppose this idea that goes against established concepts regarding the ecology and evolution of dinosaurs, reaffirming their nature as land animals.
Now a team of researchers, mostly from the British University of Portsmouth, examined some 1,200 teeth discovered in what was a river bed in the Cretaceous period in which several fossil remains have been found. The teeth belong to several species, but almost half have been attributed to Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. That’s a truly remarkable percentage, and the researchers believe that it’s evidence that this dinosaur lived in water, increasing the chances of the death of a specimen in a river and the presence of fossil remains in a river bed.
The discovery of a greater amount of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus teeth than the remains of other animals, including aquatic ones, is new evidence of this dinosaur’s nature that adds to the other proposed in the past. It probably won’t close discussions around this species, but adds information, like any new discovery.
