Hell heron: 95-million-year-old new dinosaur species found in the Sahara Desert

Deep in the scorching Sahara, where endless dunes hide ancient tales, a team of paleontologists came across a fossil which is no less than treasure, and it rewrote dinosaur history.

This fossil is a window into a lost world of rivers and forests where giants roamed 95 million years ago.

An ancient dinosaur species known to

Paleontologists found Spinosaurus mirabilis, a colossal new dinosaur species from Niger's remote Sahara site called Jenguebi. Fossils first surfaced in 2019, but 2022 digs revealed more, including a striking scimitar-shaped crest on its skull, as detailed in a Science journal paper.
Lead researcher Paul Sereno, from the University of Chicago, called the moment they assembled a 3D skull model in camp "unforgettable," with the team gathering in awe around the laptop screen. "That’s when it truly hit us," Sereno said, per Reuters coverage.

This beast, roughly school-bus long and several tons heavy, lived 95 million years ago in what is now desert but was then lush with rivers and forests. Named "astonishing Spinosaurus" for its unique crest, likely colourful and keratin-sheathed, it caps spinosaur evolution.

This dinosaur hunted in rivers

Unlike coastal kin, S. mirabilis hunted in inland freshwater, far from ancient seas. Its long snout and conical interlocking teeth formed a "natural trap" for slippery fish, like crocs today, according to University of Chicago reports.

Sereno envisions it as a "hell heron," wading into 2-metre-deep waters on sturdy legs but preferring shallows. "I envision this dinosaur as a kind of ‘hell heron’ that had no problem wading on its sturdy legs into two metres (6.5 ft) of water but probably spent most of its time stalking shallower traps," Sereno said.

The site, in fossil-rich Farak Formation sandstones, yielded multiple specimens plus other dinos.

Spinosaurids are a topic of debate

Spinosaurids were always a subject of debate over whether they were true swimmers or riverbank stalkers. "This discovery adds another layer to the mystery," said Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh, not on the team. Sereno called it "the coup de grâce for the aquatic hypothesis," shifting views inland (Reuters). Each fossil edges us closer to their world, as per Phys.org.