View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

Scimitar-crested Spinosaurus species from the Sahara caps stepwise spinosaurid radiation.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Scimitar-crested Spinosaurus species from the Sahara caps stepwise spinosaurid radiation.
Authors: Sereno, Paul C. (AUTHOR), Vidal, Daniel (AUTHOR), Myhrvold, Nathan P. (AUTHOR), Johnson-Ransom, Evan (AUTHOR), Ciudad Real, María (AUTHOR), Baumgart, Stephanie L. (AUTHOR), Sánchez Fontela, Noelia (AUTHOR), Green, Todd L. (AUTHOR), Saitta, Evan T. (AUTHOR), Adamou, Boubé (AUTHOR), Bop, Lauren L. (AUTHOR), Keillor, Tyler M. (AUTHOR), Fitzgerald, Erin C. (AUTHOR), Dutheil, Didier B. (AUTHOR), Laroche, Robert A. S. (AUTHOR), Demers-Potvin, Alexandre V. (AUTHOR), Simarro, Álvaro (AUTHOR), Gascó-Lluna, Francesc (AUTHOR), Lázaro, Ana (AUTHOR), Gamonal, Arturo (AUTHOR)
Source: Science. 2/19/2026, Vol. 391 Issue 6787, p1-11. 11p.
Subjects: Saurischia, Fossils, Paleontology, Cretaceous Period
Geographic Terms: Sahara, Africa, Atlantic Ocean
Abstract: We describe a close relative of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, the sail-backed, fish-eating giant from nearshore deposits of northern Africa. Spinosaurus mirabilis sp. nov., discovered in the central Sahara alongside long-necked dinosaurs in a riparian habitat, is distinguished by a scimitar-shaped bony crest projecting far above its skull roof. We discern three discrete phases in spinosaurid evolution. During the first phase with roots in the Jurassic, an elongate fish-snaring skull emerged that soon was modified along divergent paths. During a second Early Cretaceous phase, spinosaurids became the dominant predators in circum-Tethyan habitats. The final phase began just before the Late Cretaceous during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean, when spinosaurines attained maximum body size as shallow water ambush specialists limited geographically to northern Africa and South America. Editor's summary: Recent descriptions of and debates about the massive, fish-eating dinosaur Spinosaurus have brought this striking predator to the forefront of the dinosaur pantheon. Its huge size and distinctive morphology have stimulated much debate about the degree to which it lived an aquatic lifestyle. Sereno et al. describe a crested fossil Spinosaurus found in northern Africa as a new species. The researchers argue that this group of dinosaurs underwent three phases of evolution with increasing aquatic adaptations and existence in habitats around the Tethys Sea. —Sacha Vignieri INTRODUCTION: The fossils of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, a giant sail-backed, fish-eating theropod dinosaur from northern Africa, have inspired competing lifestyle interpretations, either as a semiaquatic ambush predator stalking shorelines and shallows or a fully aquatic predator in pursuit of prey underwater. Its bones and teeth have been found only in coastal deposits near marine margins, a locale potentially consistent with either lifestyle interpretation. RATIONALE: In the central Sahara, a new fossiliferous area (Jenguebi) was discovered in beds equivalent in age [Farak Formation; Cenomanian ~95 million years ago (Mya)] to those yielding fossil remains of S. aegyptiacus. We describe from this area a new species, Spinosaurus mirabilis sp. nov., which is very similar to S. aegyptiacus in skeletal form but with a much taller, scimitar-shaped cranial crest. Two new sauropods were found in close association with the new spinosaurid buried in fluvial sediments indicative of an inland riparian habitat. RESULTS: S. mirabilis sp. nov. is distinguished by the low profile of its snout, a hypertrophied nasal-prefrontal crest, greater spacing of posterior maxillary teeth, and other features. Its features highlight the extraordinary specializations of both species of the genus Spinosaurus, including interdigitating upper and lower teeth. Principal component analysis of body proportions places spinosaurids between semiaquatic waders (e.g., herons) and aquatic divers (e.g., darters) distant from all other predatory dinosaurs. A time-calibrated phylogenetic analysis resolves three evolutionary phases: an initial Jurassic radiation when their distinctive elongate fish-snaring skull evolved and split into two distinctive designs, baryonychine and spinosaurine; an Early Cretaceous circum-Tethyan diversification when both reigned as dominant predators; and a final early Late Cretaceous phase when spinosaurines attained maximum body size as shallow water ambush specialists limited geographically to northern Africa and South America. CONCLUSION: The discovery of the tall-crested S. mirabilis sp. nov. in a riparian setting within an inland basin supports a lifestyle interpretation of a wading, shoreline predator with visual display an important aspect of its biology. At the end of the Cenomanian about 95 million years ago, an abrupt eustatic rise in sea level and the attendant climate change brought the spinosaurid radiation to an end. Sheathed bony head crests in extinct and living dinosaurs.: S. mirabilis sp. nov., evolved the tallest head crest of any theropod dinosaur, drawing attention to the midline ornamentation that characterizes the cranium and axial skeleton of all spinosaurids. In life, the crest would have been extended to some degree by a keratinous sheath, as in the living helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). Visual signaling, as is the case in guinea fowl and other crested avians, was likely the function of spinosaurid cranial crests and trunk and tail sails. Scale bar, 20 cm for S. mirabilis and 3 cm for N. meleagris. FLESH RENDERING AND LAYOUT BY DANI NAVARRO; ADULT SKULL CAST BY THE FOSSIL LAB; HELMETED GUINEA FOWL IMAGES BY TODD GREENE [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 191696262
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Scimitar-crested Spinosaurus species from the Sahara caps stepwise spinosaurid radiation.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sereno%2C+Paul+C%2E%22">Sereno, Paul C.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Vidal%2C+Daniel%22">Vidal, Daniel</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Myhrvold%2C+Nathan+P%2E%22">Myhrvold, Nathan P.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Johnson-Ransom%2C+Evan%22">Johnson-Ransom, Evan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ciudad+Real%2C+María%22">Ciudad Real, María</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Baumgart%2C+Stephanie+L%2E%22">Baumgart, Stephanie L.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sánchez+Fontela%2C+Noelia%22">Sánchez Fontela, Noelia</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Green%2C+Todd+L%2E%22">Green, Todd L.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Saitta%2C+Evan+T%2E%22">Saitta, Evan T.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Adamou%2C+Boubé%22">Adamou, Boubé</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bop%2C+Lauren+L%2E%22">Bop, Lauren L.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Keillor%2C+Tyler+M%2E%22">Keillor, Tyler M.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fitzgerald%2C+Erin+C%2E%22">Fitzgerald, Erin C.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dutheil%2C+Didier+B%2E%22">Dutheil, Didier B.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Laroche%2C+Robert+A%2E+S%2E%22">Laroche, Robert A. S.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Demers-Potvin%2C+Alexandre+V%2E%22">Demers-Potvin, Alexandre V.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Simarro%2C+Álvaro%22">Simarro, Álvaro</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gascó-Lluna%2C+Francesc%22">Gascó-Lluna, Francesc</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lázaro%2C+Ana%22">Lázaro, Ana</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gamonal%2C+Arturo%22">Gamonal, Arturo</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Science%22">Science</searchLink>. 2/19/2026, Vol. 391 Issue 6787, p1-11. 11p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Saurischia%22">Saurischia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fossils%22">Fossils</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Paleontology%22">Paleontology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cretaceous+Period%22">Cretaceous Period</searchLink>
– Name: SubjectGeographic
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sahara%22">Sahara</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Africa%22">Africa</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Atlantic+Ocean%22">Atlantic Ocean</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: We describe a close relative of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, the sail-backed, fish-eating giant from nearshore deposits of northern Africa. Spinosaurus mirabilis sp. nov., discovered in the central Sahara alongside long-necked dinosaurs in a riparian habitat, is distinguished by a scimitar-shaped bony crest projecting far above its skull roof. We discern three discrete phases in spinosaurid evolution. During the first phase with roots in the Jurassic, an elongate fish-snaring skull emerged that soon was modified along divergent paths. During a second Early Cretaceous phase, spinosaurids became the dominant predators in circum-Tethyan habitats. The final phase began just before the Late Cretaceous during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean, when spinosaurines attained maximum body size as shallow water ambush specialists limited geographically to northern Africa and South America. Editor's summary: Recent descriptions of and debates about the massive, fish-eating dinosaur Spinosaurus have brought this striking predator to the forefront of the dinosaur pantheon. Its huge size and distinctive morphology have stimulated much debate about the degree to which it lived an aquatic lifestyle. Sereno et al. describe a crested fossil Spinosaurus found in northern Africa as a new species. The researchers argue that this group of dinosaurs underwent three phases of evolution with increasing aquatic adaptations and existence in habitats around the Tethys Sea. —Sacha Vignieri INTRODUCTION: The fossils of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, a giant sail-backed, fish-eating theropod dinosaur from northern Africa, have inspired competing lifestyle interpretations, either as a semiaquatic ambush predator stalking shorelines and shallows or a fully aquatic predator in pursuit of prey underwater. Its bones and teeth have been found only in coastal deposits near marine margins, a locale potentially consistent with either lifestyle interpretation. RATIONALE: In the central Sahara, a new fossiliferous area (Jenguebi) was discovered in beds equivalent in age [Farak Formation; Cenomanian ~95 million years ago (Mya)] to those yielding fossil remains of S. aegyptiacus. We describe from this area a new species, Spinosaurus mirabilis sp. nov., which is very similar to S. aegyptiacus in skeletal form but with a much taller, scimitar-shaped cranial crest. Two new sauropods were found in close association with the new spinosaurid buried in fluvial sediments indicative of an inland riparian habitat. RESULTS: S. mirabilis sp. nov. is distinguished by the low profile of its snout, a hypertrophied nasal-prefrontal crest, greater spacing of posterior maxillary teeth, and other features. Its features highlight the extraordinary specializations of both species of the genus Spinosaurus, including interdigitating upper and lower teeth. Principal component analysis of body proportions places spinosaurids between semiaquatic waders (e.g., herons) and aquatic divers (e.g., darters) distant from all other predatory dinosaurs. A time-calibrated phylogenetic analysis resolves three evolutionary phases: an initial Jurassic radiation when their distinctive elongate fish-snaring skull evolved and split into two distinctive designs, baryonychine and spinosaurine; an Early Cretaceous circum-Tethyan diversification when both reigned as dominant predators; and a final early Late Cretaceous phase when spinosaurines attained maximum body size as shallow water ambush specialists limited geographically to northern Africa and South America. CONCLUSION: The discovery of the tall-crested S. mirabilis sp. nov. in a riparian setting within an inland basin supports a lifestyle interpretation of a wading, shoreline predator with visual display an important aspect of its biology. At the end of the Cenomanian about 95 million years ago, an abrupt eustatic rise in sea level and the attendant climate change brought the spinosaurid radiation to an end. Sheathed bony head crests in extinct and living dinosaurs.: S. mirabilis sp. nov., evolved the tallest head crest of any theropod dinosaur, drawing attention to the midline ornamentation that characterizes the cranium and axial skeleton of all spinosaurids. In life, the crest would have been extended to some degree by a keratinous sheath, as in the living helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). Visual signaling, as is the case in guinea fowl and other crested avians, was likely the function of spinosaurid cranial crests and trunk and tail sails. Scale bar, 20 cm for S. mirabilis and 3 cm for N. meleagris. FLESH RENDERING AND LAYOUT BY DANI NAVARRO; ADULT SKULL CAST BY THE FOSSIL LAB; HELMETED GUINEA FOWL IMAGES BY TODD GREENE [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=191696262
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1126/science.adx5486
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Saurischia
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fossils
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Paleontology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cretaceous Period
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sahara
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Africa
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Atlantic Ocean
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Scimitar-crested Spinosaurus species from the Sahara caps stepwise spinosaurid radiation.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Sereno, Paul C.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Vidal, Daniel
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Myhrvold, Nathan P.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Johnson-Ransom, Evan
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Ciudad Real, María
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Baumgart, Stephanie L.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Sánchez Fontela, Noelia
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Green, Todd L.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Saitta, Evan T.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Adamou, Boubé
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Bop, Lauren L.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Keillor, Tyler M.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Fitzgerald, Erin C.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Dutheil, Didier B.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Laroche, Robert A. S.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Demers-Potvin, Alexandre V.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Simarro, Álvaro
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Gascó-Lluna, Francesc
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Lázaro, Ana
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Gamonal, Arturo
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 19
              M: 02
              Text: 2/19/2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 00368075
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 391
            – Type: issue
              Value: 6787
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Science
              Type: main
ResultId 1