The Egyptian Legend

Spinosaurus Aegipticus was in the spinosauridae and most people regard it as the largest theropod. The name means “Egyptian spined lizard” and was discovered by Ernst Stromer in 1912, Egypt. It lived in the late Cretaceous, north Africa.

Spinosaurus Aegipticus had an extremely elongated body compared to Tyrannosaurus rex, being 45–50 ft (13.5–15). With a more longer build, Spinosaurus Aegipticus also had it’s center of gravity shifted forward, towards the chest and arms. In JP3, Spinosaurus Aegipticus was shown to be a tall predator, which is not at all the case. Spinosaurus Aegipticus had a low horizontal pose, close to a crocodile.

The neck was thick and muscular which was built for side to side snapping, not for more vertical bites like the T-rex did.

Its forelimbs are among the strongest of any megatheropod. The claws were large, reaching 30 cm (12 inches).The length of the actual arm was 1.5–2 meters. The forearm bones were thick, which indicates that they were made for strength. The large muscle attachment sites on the humerus and scapula which meant that they were stronger than other theropods. They were probably used for hooking large prey, pinning struggling prey, and even help it get through water or mud.

The bones were denser and heavier than most other theropods. This phenomenon is called pachyostotic. The bones were not hollow like other theropods. This helped reduce buoyancy for when diving. It also allowed for Spinosaurus Aegipticus to dive underneath the water at will.

A peculiar thing Spinosaurus Aegipticus has, is a sail on its back. The neural spined were up to 1.65–1.8. The spines were likely not strong enough for combat and lightweight in relation to its body size. So Spinosaurus Aegipticus likely would have used it for thermal regulation and for attracting mates.

Spinosaurus Aegipticus had its eyes positioned more back than other theropods. This allowed it to submerse its snout into the water while able to see, without water in its eyes.

The nostrils, like the eyes, were positioned further back than most other theropods. This let Spinosaurus Aegipticus put its snout in the water without breathing in water. This was a primary reason why paleontologists think that Spinosaurus Aegipticus hunted fish.

Spinosaurus Aegipticus had hearing more attuned to low frequencies, like vibrations. These adaptions for hearing helped Spinosaurus Aegipticus detect movement in the water and sense nearby activity in the waterways it lived in.

The snout of Spinosaurus Aegipticus had an interesting adaptation — it had tiny pits for sensing movement in water so it didn’t have to put its eyes in the water. Even the slightest twitch, Spinosaurus Aegipticus would detect. It could sense prey without seeing it.

Spinosaurus Aegipticus had conical teeth for gripping fish. While it didn’t have the crushing bite of T-rex or the the slice of Giganotosaurus, it did have the grip of Spinosaurus Aegipticus (itself). This grip helped Spinosaurus Aegipticus get a good hold on slippery fish when normal teeth wouldn’t be able to grip. The teeth did look a little crazy because they were slightly curved inwards.

Spinosaurus Aegipticus’s bite was around 4,829–11,936 Newtons. Not T-rex level but respectable. Here’s where the water sensor comes in-Spinosaurus Aegipticus, when hunting put its mouth in the water and then when a fish came, Spinosaurus closed its jaws and the teeth grip onto it. The jaws had a really fast closing speed which made it hard for fish to escape.

Spinosaurus Aegipticus was not a predator meant for land. A predator that was not bound to land… But extended it’s reach to water. Not speed, not power, but precision. That is what Spinosaurus Aegipticus is about — One shot, One kill.