Spinosaurus

"It's a superpredator."—Billy Brennan

Spinosaurus, ("spined lizard") is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now North Africa, from the Albian to early Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous Period, about 100 million years ago. This genus was first known from a set of Egyptian remains discovered in 1910 and described by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer. These original remains were sadly destroyed in an allied bombing run over Berlin during World War II, but additional skull material has come to light in recent years. It is unclear whether one or two species are represented in the described fossils. The best known species is Spinosaurus aegyptiacus from Egypt, although a potential second species named Spinosaurus marocannus has been discovered in Morocco. In the film Jurassic Park III, it serves as the villainous antagonist.

The distinctive "spines" on the animal's back, which were long extensions of the vertebrae, grew up to 2 meters long and were likely to have had skin connecting them, forming a sail-like structure, although some have suggested that they were covered in muscle and formed a hump or ridge. Multiple functions have been put forward for this structure, including thermoregulation and display. According to recent estimates, Spinosaurus is the largest of all known carnivorous dinosaurs, even larger than Tyrannosaurus and Giganotosaurus. These estimates suggest that it was around 16 to 18 meters in length (52 to 59 feet) and up to 9.9 tons in weight, although these figures have not been universally accepted.

Description and Statistics
Although Spinosaurus is well-known to dinosaur enthusiasts due to its sail and elongated skull, it is mostly known from remains that have been destroyed, aside from a few more recently discovered teeth and skull elements. Additionally, so far only the skull and backbone have been described in detail, and limb bones have not yet been recovered. Some speculation occurs in arguments among scientists and paleontologists that the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus may have walked on all four limbs, but most are not convinced. Jaw and skull material published in 2005 show that it had one of the longest skulls of any carnivorous dinosaur, said to be 1.75 meters (5.75 ft) long. The skull had a narrow snout filled with straight conical teeth that lacked serrations. There were six or seven teeth on each side of the very front of the upper jaw, in the premaxilla bones, and another twelve in both maxillae behind them. The second and third teeth on each side were noticeably larger than the rest of the teeth in the premaxilla, creating a space between them and the large teeth in the anterior maxilla; large teeth in the lower jaw faced this space. The very tip of the snout holding those few large anterior teeth was expanded, and a small crest was present in front of the eyes.

The sail of Spinosaurus was formed of very tall neural spines growing on the back vertebrae. These spines were seven to eleven times the height of the vertebrae from which they grew. The spines were slightly longer front to back at the base than higher up, and were unlike the thin rods seen in the pelycosaur finbacks Edaphosaurus and Dimetrodon.

The size of the Spinosaurus in the Jurassic Park III is listed at 43 feet long and 16 feet tall (19 feet at the top of the fin), although the animatronic stood 20 feet (6.1 meters) and weigh 26,000 lbs (12 tons), making it the largest dinosaur made for a Jurassic Park film. It is unknown whether the individual seen in the film was a male or female. It could only reach speeds around 25 mph on land.

Behavior in Jurassic Park
The Spinosaurus was a cunning and vicious predator. It was as deadly on land as it was in the water. Spinosaurus appears very territorial, and had an obvious brutality sizing up to the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex. Its crocodile-like mouth was full of teeth used for gripping and slicing. It could use its mouth to grip and its claws to tear and break. Its massive arms were used for gripping and tearing. Its feet could hold down suffering animals and may have been used to propel itself through water. They seem to stay close to rivers, so it could ambush drinking herbivores. It is the biggest carnivore on the island of Isla Sorna, and there is only evidence of one on the island. Oddly before chasing Eric and Grant by the fence the Spinosaurus is seen just standing in one spot staring at the group right after they realize its nearby in true villain fashion. This is very human behavior in movies.

Jurassic Park III
Seen in Jurassic Park III living on Isla Sorna, fans often wonder why the groups in The Lost World: Jurassic Park did not encounter any Spinosaurs. The only answer is that the events of The Lost World took place in the southeastern portion of the island, while JP3 took place in the northwestern part. This would also solve the question of why the second film takes place in coniferous forest and the third in lush jungle. The Spinosaurus' range didn't cover the southeastern part of the island, so the characters from TLW did not see it.

When Dr. Grant and Billy were talking about what dinosaur it was, Billy said he didn't remember seeing Spinosaurus on the list of dinosaurs Hammond had cloned, leading us to believe that the scientists at InGen had been tampering with the DNA of dinosaurs that Hammond had not intended to resurrect. It was most likely mistaken for Baryonyx when they made the animals. The most likely first encounter was the scene with the Dino-Soar boat.The reason is the Spinosaurus swam in the river during the boat attack scene. When the JP3 group first encounter it on the island, it eats two mercenaries and chases the remaining "visitors" into the jungle, where they bump into a Tyrannosaurus, which chases them right back towards the Spinosaur. The two massive predators do battle, and the Tyrannosaurus bites on the Spinosaur's neck, though it manages to pull free. The Rex then headbutts its rival, but hesitates as the Spinosaurus gets up and clamps down on the Rex's neck, twisting it until a crack is heard, breaking it, and killing the Rex. The group soon run into the Spinosaurus again after hearing a satellite phone ring, which they then realize was last in the possession of someone eaten by the Spinosaurus, leading to another chase. It appears once more towards the end of the movie, attacking the group on a barge, but is soon frightened off when leaking gasoline from the boat's ruptured engine is ignited by a flare.

Jurassic Park: DNA Factor
The Spinosaurus appears as the boss of the game's penultimate stage. It appears to be far larger then it was in real life, dwarfing the Tyrannosaurus. During the stage, the player is running through the tops of several trees, and the Spinosaur chases the player and tries repeatedly to bite. To damage it, the player must pick up some of the bombs in the area and throw them at the rampaging reptile. Sometimes the Spinosaurus crouches down under the trees and lunges up with its sail.

Operation Genesis
Spinosaurus can be seen in all its neck-snapping glory in Operation Genesis as a five-star large carnivore. It doesn't always come out on top over Tyrannosaurus in the game.

Jurassic Park: Island Attack
Spinosaurus appears twice in this game, but it's more of a stage hazard then an enemy. It can't be killed, and will just chase the player until a certain point in the stage is reached. It is first encountered at the beginning of the game, and then later at the climax.

Warpath
Before it's appearance in the movie series, Spinosaurus appeared in the Warpath video game for the PSX. Here, due to the game being made before recent scientific discoveries, the Spinosaurus has a body shape more similar to that of an Allosaur rather than it's current, scientifically accurate, crocodilian-like features.

Dino Defender
Spinosaurus appears 3 times in the game.

Danger zone
Spinosaurus appears anytime in the game.

Dinosaur Battles
This Dinosaur appears at the end of the game.

Video
left|thumb|300px|All Spinosaurus scenes