spinosaurus

[Gwangi]

Fair… but im just saying that spinosaurus, irritator, suchomimus etc all share a common ancestor… and that creature had reason to develop the beginnings of either a humo or a sail… so it seems unlikely that if say this was a sail, that one member of the lineage would lose that and then find the need to develop a hump.

Personally im very much the opposite and think that animals of the same lineage should be used to fill the gaps.

I'm in the same camp. I'm fully supportive of using better known related animals to fill in the gaps of lesser known species until more evidence arrives for that species. There is often variation between related species but if we know Spinosaurs had a sail I think it is a safe bet to assume the others did.

Baryo, Sucho and Irritator (or Angaturama) seem to have a hump-like structure on their backs

How do you know this?

[Sharptooth]

Baryo, Sucho and Irritator (or Angaturama) seem to have a hump-like structure on their backs

How do you know this?

I guess they had it by lookin' at their skeletons... The form of their dorsal vertebrae doesn't strike me as something supporting a sail, more like, as i said, a hump or a strongly-muscled back (hunchback dinosaurs?  ). Just my two cents, and i could be wrong, considering i don't know in what measure Bary, Sucho and Irritator's skeletons are complete.

[Zopteryx]

Just my two cents, and i could be wrong, considering i don't know in what measure Bary, Sucho and Irritator's skeletons are complete.

Bary & Sucho are known from a few partial skeletons, so are mostly complete.  Irritator is just a skull and a few isolated bones.

Great theory tho...  It makes good sense. Very good

Thank you!

[Yutyrannus]

I think that there was a sail rather than a hump, because the hump is thought to have stored fat for the spinosaur to live on, like a camel. Whoever believes this theory seems to be forgetting the spinosaurus did not live in a desert, but a swamp. Also being warm-blooded, spinosaurus would have no need for a thermal regulator. For me, a sail evolved for display is the only way for not only spinosaurus, but all sailed spinosaurs.

[Gwangi]

I think that there was a sail rather than a hump, because the hump is thought to have stored fat for the spinosaur to live on, like a camel. Whoever believes this theory seems to be forgetting the spinosaurus did not live in a desert, but a swamp. Also being warm-blooded, spinosaurus would have no need for a thermal regulator. For me, a sail evolved for display is the only way for not only spinosaurus, but all sailed spinosaurs.

That's if Spinosaurus was warm blooded. There is no consensus on that issue yet. Besides, the need to regulate temperature is no unique to cold blooded animals. Just look at the ears of most desert dwelling mammals. Jack rabbits, fenic foxes, elephants all use their ears to shed excess head. Spinosaurs could have done the same with their sails.

[darylj]

I think its inevitable that the sail evolved for some kind of thermo reg.
this creature was at least semi aquatic.. maybe standing all day in water... waiting... thats gonna make any animal cold... warm or cold blooded.
having a sail in the sun, out of the water all the time... thats a great help!

it just baffles me that the 'more aquatic' species (sucho) had smaller sails... when this theory would suggest other wise.

i mean, this combined with the fact that it would make the animal look bigger is interesting... as it would essentially remove any threats from spino...
as is the idea of using it to shade the water.... to see fish better... but as mentioned... it would mean hunting at a horrible angle.

what about a method of keeping eggs cool?
do we have any idea of the sex of spino finds?

also... side note. what other big theropods loved with spino, sucho, baryonyx etc?

[amargasaurus cazaui]

From the reading I have done, it might be a possibility the environment itself was responsible for the adaptation. The thing that has caught my attention is Spinosaurus was a basically African dinosaur, and that land mass was connected to what is now South America. When you look at animals from both continents, you get Spinosaurus, Amargasaurus and Ouranosaurus. Sails or humps, or at least some form of back adapation occurring in several lines of dinosaurs from arguably the same basic location. Could there have been a common ancestor that was spined or would it seem more likely they are all a form of adaptation to the localized environment, likely temperature? If memory serves there was another species of sauropod from Africa also known with spines down its back...

[Yutyrannus]

I think that there was a sail rather than a hump, because the hump is thought to have stored fat for the spinosaur to live on, like a camel. Whoever believes this theory seems to be forgetting the spinosaurus did not live in a desert, but a swamp. Also being warm-blooded, spinosaurus would have no need for a thermal regulator. For me, a sail evolved for display is the only way for not only spinosaurus, but all sailed spinosaurs.

That's if Spinosaurus was warm blooded. There is no consensus on that issue yet. Besides, the need to regulate temperature is no unique to cold blooded animals. Just look at the ears of most desert dwelling mammals. Jack rabbits, fenic foxes, elephants all use their ears to shed excess head.
 Spinosaurs could have done the same with their sails.

Sure, but spinosaurus wasn't a desert animal .

[Gwangi]

I think that there was a sail rather than a hump, because the hump is thought to have stored fat for the spinosaur to live on, like a camel. Whoever believes this theory seems to be forgetting the spinosaurus did not live in a desert, but a swamp. Also being warm-blooded, spinosaurus would have no need for a thermal regulator. For me, a sail evolved for display is the only way for not only spinosaurus, but all sailed spinosaurs.

That's if Spinosaurus was warm blooded. There is no consensus on that issue yet. Besides, the need to regulate temperature is no unique to cold blooded animals. Just look at the ears of most desert dwelling mammals. Jack rabbits, fenic foxes, elephants all use their ears to shed excess head.
 Spinosaurs could have done the same with their sails.

Sure, but spinosaurus wasn't a desert animal .

No, but it was a large animal living in a warm place.

[Takama]

I find this coincidental, but i was just working on the spinosaurus fact sheet and all of a sudden, a thread pops up for this dinosaur

Alright if i post this for "Expert anlysus"?


___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ____________________________
Spinosaurus

Family: theropoda

Diet: Primarily a piscivore

Found in: Egypt

Lived During: Middle Cretaceous

Size: Estimated to be 49 feet long

Related too: Baryonx and Irritator

Basic Facts: Spinosaurus was first discovered back in the early 1910s, and since then it has been considered to be one of the largest theropods that ever walked the earth. Size estimates rival it against some of the largest carnosaurs such as Giganotosaurus & Carcharodontosaurus, However, while they prefer the meat of other dinosaurs, Spinosaurus preferred a diet of fish. The evidence of this diet has been uncovered from a fossilized skeleton of a Saw Fish, which had a Spinosaurus tooth imbedded within it.
Right now, all that has been known from it is the Jaws and vertebra, and also a small crest on its head.
The most complete specimen that was ever found of this genus was destroyed during a bombing raid in World War II, and all that was left of it were the detailed drawings left from the scientist who first discovered it. Thanks to the remains of its relatives, Its anatomy has been easily reconstructed, largely because of its skull which matches those of Irritator Suchomimis and Baryonx. Like Suchomimis and Baryonx, it has been accepted that it has a large hand claw as well, that’s used to snag up fish with ease.

The thing that gives Spinosaurus its namesake is its Six foot spines that protruded out of its back. There has been some serious argument on how these spines may appeard. Some scientist believe that the spines formed a giant fin, just like the sailed back Phycosaurs of the early Permian period, and other scintist thought of it to be a giant hump, simaler to a Bison.
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hope this dosent count as hi jacking

[SBell]

I just hope you use a spell checker if you do use it

And it is normally prudent to use a citation of some kind to explain where your information came from.

[Gryphoceratops]

Yes always cite your work.   

[Takama]

Note taken, Its a rough draft so its still ,well rough