Spinosaurus aegyptiacus for Kids Ages 3-12

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

A Spinosaurus aegyptiacus tells its life story, from hunting in the rivers of North Africa 97 million years ago to the modern-day discovery of its unique paddle-like tail. The dinosaur recounts how its first fossils were found in 1912 by Richard Markgraf, named in 1915 by Ernst Stromer, and then lost in 1944. The story concludes with the exciting rediscovery of new fossils in 2014, which proved it was the first known swimming dinosaur and highlights that science is an ongoing adventure.

Existence Period c. 99.0 Million Years Ago - 93.5 Million Years Ago (circa)

First Fossils Discovered 1912

Formally Described 1915

The Tale of the Spine Lizard

Hello there! My name is Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, which is a big name for a big dinosaur. I lived about 97 million years ago, during a time called the Cretaceous Period. My home wasn't a forest or a plain; it was a huge, swampy river system in what is now North Africa. I want to tell you my story, which is a tale of water, giant fish, and a puzzle that took millions of years for humans to solve.

I wasn't like the other big dinosaurs you might know. I spent most of my time in the water! I had a long snout like a crocodile, filled with sharp, cone-shaped teeth perfect for snapping up slippery fish. My most famous feature was the giant sail on my back, which was made of tall spines covered in skin. For a long time, how I moved in the water was a bit of a mystery. But in 2020, scientists discovered my tail was special, too. It was shaped like a giant paddle, helping me swim powerfully through the rivers to hunt for giant sawfish called Onchopristis.

After I was gone, my bones were buried in sand and rock for millions of years. Then, in 1912, a fossil collector named Richard Markgraf found some of my bones in Egypt. He carefully gathered them and sent them to a German paleontologist named Ernst Stromer. In 1915, he was the one who studied them and gave me my name, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, which means the 'Spine Lizard from Egypt.' He made careful drawings and notes, excited to share my story with the world.

But my story took a sad turn. The museum in Germany where my first bones were kept was destroyed during a war, on April 24th, 1944, and my precious fossils were lost forever. For many decades, all scientists had were Ernst Stromer's drawings. It seemed like my true shape might remain a mystery. But paleontologists never gave up! Starting in the early 2000s, and especially with a big discovery in 2014, scientists like Nizar Ibrahim found new bones of my kind in Morocco. These new fossils included parts of a skull, legs, and even my amazing paddle-tail.

I lived in the Cretaceous Period, a world very different from yours. Even though my kind is no longer here, my story is more alive than ever. Those new bones proved that I was a swimming dinosaur, the first one ever discovered! My story shows how science is a wonderful, ongoing adventure. Each new fossil is a clue that helps you understand all the incredible ways there were to be a dinosaur, and reminds you that there are always new discoveries waiting to be found.