Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus reconstruction (at least an attempt at it), as of 2015 knowledge.
Material used:
Skeletal reconstructions according to the 2014 Ibrahim et al. paper, notably these NatGeo skeletons displaying the source of specific parts.
Scott Hartman's There's something fishy about the new spinosaurus.
Various skull reconstructions (side and front views).
I also looked at the 1912 Stromer find and reconstruction (can be found here for example) which notably places the tallest neural spine at the same location as modern reconstructions. I took it as a reassurement since Ernst Stromer had those bones first-hand (which got lost later in WW2; some reconstructions before 2014 assumed it being part of the tail).
An older (2011) post by Jaime A. Headden: A fistful of Spinosaurus was also something I believe worthy to read and understand, outlining the pitfalls of attempting to reconstruct an animal from the diverse fragments turning up. The today's Spinosaurus may just still not be "the" Spinosaurus.
Own theories and ramblings:
Obviously we know only the skeleton of this animal (or at least parts of it, such as it still looks like there are no definite Spino forelimbs found). I took the liberty of portraying him as a scaly (crocodilian) beast, as many large theropods lacked feathers. A notable proven example is the Carnotaurus. I just felt it more fitting, but of course later it might turn out the Spino had feathers.
My interpretation of the sail uses the assumption that it was a display structure (the bones suggest this). It is a somewhat asymmetrical trapezoid, I took that a bit farther applying a coloration which even better indicates the direction of the animal, making it more useful in this role. The Spino likely didn't hunt at all for ground animals, the sail, and his wimpy hind legs making him completely unsuitable for that, so it doesn't really matter how "ridiculous" the thing is. A possible use may be an indication to the young (if they cared and even if they didn't for their chick) both that where is an adult Spino, and where the "dangerous" end is. They likely weren't very bright, so it could have been an useful measure to prevent cannibalism (even accidental one: the Spino might have not even cared what it gulped down). Of course it could also indicate maturity, gender, acceptance, and many other things. It might also have helped them avoid fights (which in their case was probably more dangerous than among crocs which can be all well with one or two feet lost as it happens).
For locomotion I assumed croc style swimming, using the tail extensively. The hind feet appear very small, rather seeming like something useful for steering, like as far as I see, the tail vertebrae were similar to those of crocs, so might have had similar musculature and use. Quite efficient.
That's all. So a bit of fun with paleoart and related research. The Spino is definitely an interesting and unique dinosaur, not for just the size.
Material used:
Skeletal reconstructions according to the 2014 Ibrahim et al. paper, notably these NatGeo skeletons displaying the source of specific parts.
Scott Hartman's There's something fishy about the new spinosaurus.
Various skull reconstructions (side and front views).
I also looked at the 1912 Stromer find and reconstruction (can be found here for example) which notably places the tallest neural spine at the same location as modern reconstructions. I took it as a reassurement since Ernst Stromer had those bones first-hand (which got lost later in WW2; some reconstructions before 2014 assumed it being part of the tail).
An older (2011) post by Jaime A. Headden: A fistful of Spinosaurus was also something I believe worthy to read and understand, outlining the pitfalls of attempting to reconstruct an animal from the diverse fragments turning up. The today's Spinosaurus may just still not be "the" Spinosaurus.
Own theories and ramblings:
Obviously we know only the skeleton of this animal (or at least parts of it, such as it still looks like there are no definite Spino forelimbs found). I took the liberty of portraying him as a scaly (crocodilian) beast, as many large theropods lacked feathers. A notable proven example is the Carnotaurus. I just felt it more fitting, but of course later it might turn out the Spino had feathers.
My interpretation of the sail uses the assumption that it was a display structure (the bones suggest this). It is a somewhat asymmetrical trapezoid, I took that a bit farther applying a coloration which even better indicates the direction of the animal, making it more useful in this role. The Spino likely didn't hunt at all for ground animals, the sail, and his wimpy hind legs making him completely unsuitable for that, so it doesn't really matter how "ridiculous" the thing is. A possible use may be an indication to the young (if they cared and even if they didn't for their chick) both that where is an adult Spino, and where the "dangerous" end is. They likely weren't very bright, so it could have been an useful measure to prevent cannibalism (even accidental one: the Spino might have not even cared what it gulped down). Of course it could also indicate maturity, gender, acceptance, and many other things. It might also have helped them avoid fights (which in their case was probably more dangerous than among crocs which can be all well with one or two feet lost as it happens).
For locomotion I assumed croc style swimming, using the tail extensively. The hind feet appear very small, rather seeming like something useful for steering, like as far as I see, the tail vertebrae were similar to those of crocs, so might have had similar musculature and use. Quite efficient.
That's all. So a bit of fun with paleoart and related research. The Spino is definitely an interesting and unique dinosaur, not for just the size.
Category Artwork (Digital) / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Reptilian (Other)
Size 1280 x 1024px
File Size 369.2 kB
Huh, someone just asked about the same on DA, so here I quote my reply from there. In short, they likely avoided each other:
True, (the ancestors of) crocs already existed when they lived, but maybe their habitat didn't entirely overlap. Crocodiles like to stay near the shore, even snapping land animals, while the Spino was obviously incapable to do anything alike (that big sail... even without considering the wimpy hind-limbs). The Spino's jaws also rather resemble to those of gharials than crocs (more useful for fishing). They might have hunted farther in, probably they didn't even need basking being more or less warm-blooded (if they were cold-blooded it would be odd that the sail wasn't serving for thermoregulation, because as we understand today, it didn't have such role).
Somehow figuring out how a Spino grew up, whether they cared for the eggs and the young would be very interesting. The sail could have had role in that, too (the chicks could easily follow an adult even far from the shore). I could also imagine such a simple herding relationship that younger Spinos simply followed a large adult for its inherent protection by the sheer size, while since the Spino fed on fish, they themselves would be safe (stay safe, again the sail: they see where the adult is, and which end they should stay well clear of). Until the young are less than half as long as the adult, they wouldn't even bother each other in hunting since they need different sizes of fish. If they actively cared for their young, those might also have had sails (easier for the mother to track the chicks), otherwise I feel it more likely they hadn't (so until they grew big enough, they could hide). Of course just speculations.
True, (the ancestors of) crocs already existed when they lived, but maybe their habitat didn't entirely overlap. Crocodiles like to stay near the shore, even snapping land animals, while the Spino was obviously incapable to do anything alike (that big sail... even without considering the wimpy hind-limbs). The Spino's jaws also rather resemble to those of gharials than crocs (more useful for fishing). They might have hunted farther in, probably they didn't even need basking being more or less warm-blooded (if they were cold-blooded it would be odd that the sail wasn't serving for thermoregulation, because as we understand today, it didn't have such role).
Somehow figuring out how a Spino grew up, whether they cared for the eggs and the young would be very interesting. The sail could have had role in that, too (the chicks could easily follow an adult even far from the shore). I could also imagine such a simple herding relationship that younger Spinos simply followed a large adult for its inherent protection by the sheer size, while since the Spino fed on fish, they themselves would be safe (stay safe, again the sail: they see where the adult is, and which end they should stay well clear of). Until the young are less than half as long as the adult, they wouldn't even bother each other in hunting since they need different sizes of fish. If they actively cared for their young, those might also have had sails (easier for the mother to track the chicks), otherwise I feel it more likely they hadn't (so until they grew big enough, they could hide). Of course just speculations.
Yes, if it was for display, then let's have it! This is not even that much ridiculous compared to some other dinos (pterosaurs, for example). If I wanted something very-very far fetched, I could have imagined the Spino being poisonous, the sail yelling out "try me, and you are gonna have some serious indigestion!" (of course mostly applying to the chicks then) Well, bones will never tell!
Yes, that's the 2014 Spinosaurus. The problem with the knuckle walking and similar quadruped ideas is that the front, if it was built like other theropods, would be highly unsuitable for bearing any weight. There are many things we don't know about the Spino still:
- How long was the tail? There are just a few random vertebra, short sections, but nothing to clearly hint the length of the tail.
- How large exactly were those hind legs? They are from the 2008 Morocco find, which is basically only a hip and the legs, and just a few other bits (notably vertebra) indicating it was a spino, and giving a suggestion for scaling. The 2014 paper by the methods they described had a problem of scaling them 27% smaller on the final reconstruction than they should have been.
- How the arms looked like? Neither the Stromer, nor the Morocco specimen contained them, only some isolated finds (which are at best only "more or less Spino", and there is no hint for proper scaling). However those finds apparently were all theropod-like (so there is no set of arms in existence today which would support a quadruped idea).
Besides bones, of course if someone uncovered tracks of the Spino would also help. But any of these are still for the future. As of 2015 (I don't say 2016, well, let's pick up a shovel, hop on a camel, and go for a bit of digging to change it ..., eh, so something might still turn up) I think about this Spino is what can be considered the most likely (at least as far as the underlying skeleton is concerned: It is the Ibrahim et al. skeleton with adjusted hindlimb size).
- How long was the tail? There are just a few random vertebra, short sections, but nothing to clearly hint the length of the tail.
- How large exactly were those hind legs? They are from the 2008 Morocco find, which is basically only a hip and the legs, and just a few other bits (notably vertebra) indicating it was a spino, and giving a suggestion for scaling. The 2014 paper by the methods they described had a problem of scaling them 27% smaller on the final reconstruction than they should have been.
- How the arms looked like? Neither the Stromer, nor the Morocco specimen contained them, only some isolated finds (which are at best only "more or less Spino", and there is no hint for proper scaling). However those finds apparently were all theropod-like (so there is no set of arms in existence today which would support a quadruped idea).
Besides bones, of course if someone uncovered tracks of the Spino would also help. But any of these are still for the future. As of 2015 (I don't say 2016, well, let's pick up a shovel, hop on a camel, and go for a bit of digging to change it ..., eh, so something might still turn up) I think about this Spino is what can be considered the most likely (at least as far as the underlying skeleton is concerned: It is the Ibrahim et al. skeleton with adjusted hindlimb size).
I seemed to have missed this the first time around. Good job! I've always been fascinated with this guy and have followed the latest information with great interest. I think what you're showing is quite plausible, but until a more complete skeleton is found there will always be some debate.
River floating in the summer is very popular around here and I am thinking about making a large Spinosaurus 'float boat' out of an almost 5 meter long "Sprint sea dragon"(Google it) . It already has a long snout, and the neck has an almost pelican like pose, and if I give it a more realistic tail, it will be close to the actual size. I would cover it in army mattress green foam scales like my dewback, and the neural spines made of pvc tubing and reptile vinyl upholstery sheeting. I thing I could make the snout more slender and accurate, and give it glass eyes and realistic teeth. I am curious to see if the sail could possibly work like a sailboat sail to conserve energy.
River floating in the summer is very popular around here and I am thinking about making a large Spinosaurus 'float boat' out of an almost 5 meter long "Sprint sea dragon"(Google it) . It already has a long snout, and the neck has an almost pelican like pose, and if I give it a more realistic tail, it will be close to the actual size. I would cover it in army mattress green foam scales like my dewback, and the neural spines made of pvc tubing and reptile vinyl upholstery sheeting. I thing I could make the snout more slender and accurate, and give it glass eyes and realistic teeth. I am curious to see if the sail could possibly work like a sailboat sail to conserve energy.
Thanks! It was an adventure back then to read about the Spino and the research & speculations around its skeleton. I labeled it Spino 2015 just for that: In 2015 we had this knowledge, and by that this feels a possible solution for those bones.
Nice idea for reusing that inflatable boat (I see what you are referring to), guess it has plenty of air in it to keep it all floating nicely (the body would have to mostly submerge anyway). Thinking that the Spino really sailed with that sail... Possible, but I don't think so. It is relatively small for that heavy animal, and isn't in an orientation fitting for sailing. It is possible though that they used it for some steering by wind while travelling on a current (like an inverse centreboard). Of course the inflatable boat could easily fly with even just that surface :) For the tail you could possibly use some cheap toy balls of various sizes to keep it floating (since you need a much longer tail for a good looking Spino, such balls are sturdy enough to withstand stuff which the float boat itself can endure). Eh, anyway, nice idea for a realistic "sea monster" :)
Nice idea for reusing that inflatable boat (I see what you are referring to), guess it has plenty of air in it to keep it all floating nicely (the body would have to mostly submerge anyway). Thinking that the Spino really sailed with that sail... Possible, but I don't think so. It is relatively small for that heavy animal, and isn't in an orientation fitting for sailing. It is possible though that they used it for some steering by wind while travelling on a current (like an inverse centreboard). Of course the inflatable boat could easily fly with even just that surface :) For the tail you could possibly use some cheap toy balls of various sizes to keep it floating (since you need a much longer tail for a good looking Spino, such balls are sturdy enough to withstand stuff which the float boat itself can endure). Eh, anyway, nice idea for a realistic "sea monster" :)
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