By Ethan Percival
Spinosaurus is one of the most well known dinosaurs in pop culture. Living 95 million years ago in prehistoric Africa, its icon sail and size as the longest known land predator make this dino instantly recognizable. What many may not know is that Spinosaurus was only the first of its kind to be discovered. In fact, many other Spinosaurids have been uncovered since the discovery of Spinosaurus. Many Spinosaurids have been discovered across the world, from species such as Baryonyx and Riparovenator discovered off Isle of Wight in England, to Irritator dug up in Brazil, and now the most recently discovered Spinosaurid, Protathlitis uncovered in Spain.
Its name, “Protathlitis” means champion in Greek and it lived in the early Cretaceous Period around 125 million years ago. Despite the size of its descendants, Protathlitis was relatively smaller in size at about 30 feet in length and with a slender build. Like most spinosaurids, Protathlitis diet likely mainly consisted of ancient fish species which it specialized in hunting with its long, narrow snout; however, in a pinch, it could scavenge dead animals or hunt other organisms such as the dinosaur Iguanodon.
Overall, this new discovery is very exciting as every new dinosaur found brings us closer to understanding the environment and ecosystem that once made up our world.
beniciapaw.com 