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Scientists Discover Giant Bird-Like Dinosaur in Niger Desert
The discovery of Spinosaurus mirabilis fossils far inland challenges previous beliefs about their coastal habitat, revealing a 40-foot predator with a unique 20-inch crest.
- Fossils including a skull, hind-leg fragments, and crests of Spinosaurus mirabilis were recovered deep in Niger Sahara, reported in Science by Paul Sereno and colleagues.
- After earlier leads from French geologist Hugues Faure and a Tuareg man, Sereno's team returned using GPS, drones, a 100-person excavation team and 64 Nigerien guards.
- Sereno noted the recovery of a six-foot femur, jaw, teeth, and a 20-inch crest, supporting estimates of around 40 feet in length.
- Initially fearing failure, researchers feared they made a mistake after a long desert approach, but fossils found hundreds of miles inland challenge some scientists' view that spinosaurids were fully aquatic.
- Around 95 million years ago, Sereno suggests the species waded into water but was not a good swimmer, helping reconstruct ancient Sahara habitats.
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15 Articles
15 Articles
The fossil, identified as Spinosaurus mirabilis, has an elongated jaw and an unprecedented bone crest, characteristics that fed comparisons with mythical creatures and generate new questions about the evolution of the great prehistoric predators
·Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Discovered in Niger, “Spinosaurus mirabilis” was a piscivore that hunted by ambush and lived 95 million years ago in an environment of forests crossed by waterways.
·Paris, France
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An American paleontologist and his team have discovered a new species of "Spinosaurus mirabilis". They found a fossil in 2019 in the Niger desert, following directions left by a French geologist.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources15
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution71% Center
Bias Distribution
- 71% of the sources are Center
71% Center
L 29%
C 71%
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