Remains of a 120-million-year-old monster from the “spinosaurid” group recently unearthed in Spain.
According to a study recently published in the scientific journal Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, although only a few leg bones of the monster were discovered, scientists reconstructed its terrifying appearance based on data from related species.
The new species, named Riojavenatrix lacustris, was identified by a team led by paleontologist Erik Isasmendi from the University of the Basque Country (Spain).
The newly discovered monster in Spain is a spinosaurid – (Graphic image: Andrey Atuchin).
This creature roamed the land that is now Spain about 120 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous period.
It belonged to a large group of theropod dinosaurs known as Spinosauridae, or “spinosaurids,” with some of the largest members of this family being comparable to or even larger than the Tyrannosaurus rex.
Spinosaurids are characterized by short or long spines along their backs, elongated crocodile-like heads, conical jaws, and relatively strong forelimbs with claws.
They are carnivorous dinosaurs, primarily preying on large fish species.
The newly discovered species is also a large member of this family, with an estimated length of 7-8 meters and weighing approximately 1.5 tons.
According to Sci-News, prior to Riojavenatrix lacustris, five other spinosaurid species had been excavated in the Iberian Peninsula, mainly in present-day Spain and Portugal.
This suggests that the region was once dominated by this fierce group of dinosaurs.
However, the reason why multiple apex predators could coexist in this area with only slight temporal differences remains a mystery.
