Fun Spinostropheus Facts For Kids

Albert-Félix de Lapparent excavated fossils in the Agadez desert at Oued Timmersöi, west of In Tedreft, in 1959. The bones were discovered among the findings. Based on them, de Lapparent described a second species of Elaphrosaurus, E. gautieri, in 1960. The specific name honors François Gautier, the type locality's discoverer. Its name is given due to the shape of its vertebrae and translates as "Sierra crocodile." Spinostropheus was discovered in Oued Timmersöi, Nigeria, and was initially described as Elaphrosaurus gautieri, a second species of Elaphrosaurus. However, Paul Sereno and colleagues classified it as a distinct genus in 2004. It is not known from many remains, but it is thought to be a tiny theropod, around four meters long.

For more relatable content, check out these Hesperonychus facts and Amygdalodon fun facts for kids.

How do you pronounce 'Spinostropheus '?

It is pronounced 'Spy-no-stroth-fee-us'. It was originally named Elaphrosaurus gautieri.

What type of dinosaur was a Spinostropheus?

It is a carnivorous ceratosaurian theropod dinosaur genus discovered in the Tiouraren Formation of Niger during the Middle Jurassic period. It has been classified as a generalized upright theropod since an influential skeletal reconstruction by De Lapparent and Lavocat in 1955 based on a 1936 schematic by Stromer. Carnosaurs, megalosaurs, coelurosaurs, and the majority of other ceratosaurians have vertebrae with front sides that range from very weakly concave to flat or convex. The cervical ribs of elaphrosaurine cervical vertebrae are also fully united to the main body of their respective vertebrae.

In which geological period did the Spinostropheus roam the earth?

De Lapparent had presumed that the specimen dated from the Early Cretaceous. The Permian epoch period, which culminated in the Earth's biggest mass extinction, began around 299 million years ago. The south was frigid and dry, with ice covers covering much of the land as content is available under unless otherwise noted. Early reptiles were ideally positioned to take advantage of the changing environment. They crept in where amphibians had previously held dominion, shielded by their thicker, moisture-retaining skins. They evolved through time to be well adapted to the desert-type environments in which they now thrive.

When did the Spinostropheus become extinct?

These creatures lived in the marshes of what is now South America around 270 million years ago during the Permian epoch (in the Middle Jurassic period).

Where did a Spinostropheus live?

This specimen was known to reside in the woodlands of Africa.

What was a Spinostropheus's habitat?

Spinostropheus is a carnivorous ceratosaurian dinosaur genus discovered in the Tiouraren Formation of Niger during the Middle Jurassic period.

Who did a Spinostropheus live with?

This predator lived in vast herds and had hollow limbs like birds.

How long did a Spinostropheus live?

It's difficult to know how long dinosaurs lived from their fossilized remnants. Traditional estimations based on sluggish, reptile development rates, along with dinosaur's huge size, lead experts to assume it might be hundreds of years. Paleontologists now assume that they developed considerably faster, similar to birds and mammals.

How did they reproduce?

 All dinosaurs, like extant crocodylians and birds, were oviparous, or egg-laying. There are several good specimens of fossilized egg remains and nests available for research. Dinosaurs produced hard-shelled eggs similar to birds rather than soft-shelled eggs like crocodylians and other reptiles. The egg's hard shell formed when it traveled through the mother's oviduct, where glands produced a calcareous protective covering—the calcium-rich outer shell. Nests preserved reveal that they lay a huge number of eggs on the ground. It is usual to find between 15-25 egg remains in an undamaged nest; some ancient dinosaur nests had more than 40 egg remains.

What did a Spinostropheus look like?

It has the appearance of a contemporary crocodile. It is built similarly to a crocodile. Prionosuchus is an amphibian, whereas crocodiles are amphibious reptiles. To be truthful, these creatures are more like big reptiles than amphibians.

How many bones did a Spinostropheus have?

Theropoda, often known as Theropods, is a Dinosaur clade distinguished by hollow bones and three-toed limbs. De Lapparent assumed the strata were Early Cretaceous in age. It is made up of a cervical vertebra, seven dorsal parts, three sacral pieces, five tail vertebrae, a humerus, the lower end of a pubic bone, the lower end of a thighbone, a shinbone, a fibula, a metatarsal, four additional metatarsal fragments, and a toe phalanx. It was named on the shape of its vertebrae.

How did they communicate?

Dinosaurs most likely communicated visually as well as verbally. Defensive posture, courting activity, and territorial conflicts were most likely accompanied by both verbal and visual displays. Hoots and hollers, cracking noises, dancing and song, and even symbolic love cries performed with colorful plumage were probably part of such exchanges. Clues from the fossil record and contemporary species linked to the ancient creatures, such as birds and crocodiles, suggest how the ancient creatures may have communicated.

How big was a Spinostropheus?

They were genuinely enormous amphibians. One of these creatures might grow to be 30 ft (9.14 m) long. They'd be twice as long and twice as heavy as a Nile crocodile. It also possessed a huge pair of jaws with more than 60 razor-sharp teeth.

How fast could a Spinostropheus move?

It could certainly go at 11 mph on land and maybe considerably quicker in water.

How much did a Spinostropheus weigh?

It was a little theropod. Gregory S. Paul estimated its weight to be 441 lb (200 kg) in 2010 from the fossil.

What were the male and female names of the species?

It is famously difficult to distinguish males from females of prehistoric organisms known solely through the fossil, such as dinosaurs because sex differences are rarely evident from bones.

What would you call a baby Spinostropheus?

Dinosaurs hatch from eggs, therefore new young dinosaurs are referred to as hatchlings, as are their reptile counterparts the turtles and crocodiles.

What did they eat?

They were fearsome predators that subsisted on tiny animals. It would most likely hide in water with its jaws wide, waiting for creatures to fall into its mouth. It would then grasp these creatures in its teeth and fling its head back to consume them, much like a modern alligator.

How aggressive were they?

Some experts believe it was a Platyoposaurus species. In any event, Prionosuchus is not a monster you want to get too close to. It was most likely one of the most ferocious beasts of its day.

Did you know...

Scientists are divided on whether it should be classified as a separate genus. The fossil was named by Paul Sereno, John Wilson, and John Conrad in 2004. The generic name is derived from Latin spina, "spine," and Greek stropheus, "vertebra," and alludes to the prominent and dorso-ventrally flattened epipophyseal projections of the cervical vertebrae.

What was the Spinosaurus habitat?

Spinosaurus lived in a humid environment, maybe a swamp, where it hunted coelacants, sawfish, groupers, and ambushed tiny crocodiles. Its remains have been discovered in Egypt and Morocco, while a related dinosaur named Oxalaia may have been discovered in South America. The type and only species are Spinostropheus gautieri.

How many Spinosaurus have been found?

Spinosaurus is a dinosaur that defies convention. We are not aware of any other carnivorous dinosaurs that lived in this manner. Our understanding of the water-loving beast is based on fragmented bones, and a complete skeleton of the animal has never been discovered. The type and only species are spinostropheus gautieri. There isn't as much definitive skeletal evidence for this dinosaur as there is for other big dinosaurs. According to one account, scientists have just six incomplete but individual skeletons to analyze. Albert-Félix de Lapparent excavated fossils in the Agadez desert at Oued Timmersöi, west of In Tedreft, in 1959. The bones of a theropod were discovered among the findings. Based on them, de Lapparent described a second species of Elaphrosaurus, E. gautieri, in 1960. Lapparent established the species name gautieri in 1960 to commemorate F. Gautieri, who identified the type location in Tedreft, Niger, in 1959. It was named by Paul Sereno, John Wilson, and John Conrad in 2004. It is made up of a cervical vertebrae, seven dorsal parts, three sacral pieces, five tail vertebrae, a humerus, the lower end of a pubic bone, the lower end of a thighbone, a shinbone, a fibula, a metatarsal, four additional metatarsal fragments, and a toe phalanx.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable facts, check out these Bobosaurus facts, or Scolosaurus fun facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable spinostropheus coloring pages.

*Please note that this is an image of a Stegosaurus skeleton. If you have an image of a Spinostropheus, please mail us at [email protected].