(SPY-nuh-sawr-us)

Several dinosaurs and other animals had large spines on their backs covered with skin. This gave these an~ the appearance of having sails on their backs. Ouranosaunzs was one. Spinosaurus is another. Both lived in the early Cretaceous. Spinosaurus was large and carried 6-foot spines on its back. Both Cluranosaurus and Spinosaurus were found from remains disco- vered in Africa. Skeletons of Spinosaurus also show it to have been a meat eater. It had teeth serrated like steak knives, but they were straight and not curved like those of some other dinosaurs.

Spinosaurus has been put in a group called Spinosaurids. The group included several families, among them Altispinax. They were large carnivores and hunted widely for food and prey. The sad may have helped them warm up more quickly than other dinosaurs by taking in heat from the sun. This would have been an advantage when they set out hunting.

Location: Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia

Diet: Fishes, dinosaurs

Size: Length 15m

      Weight 4 tonnes

Classification:

Family Spinosauridae

Infraorder Tetanurae

Suborder Theropoda

Order Saurischia

Time (million years ago): 100-95