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Spinostropheus

Name means: “spine vertebra”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosLate Jurassic to Late Cretaceous

Spinostropheus was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now Niger, Africa. It was a medium-sized predator with special spines on its neck bones that gave it its name.1

Lived

162 to 94 million years ago2

Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Niger (Agadez region)2 1

Food

Meat2

Length

4 to 6.2 m1

estimates vary; one scientist says 4 m, another says 6.2 m

Weight

200 kg1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 7 big dogs

as long as 6 dogs nose to tailas long as 34 bananas end to endas heavy as 40 watermelons

How big was Spinostropheus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Spinostropheus was first thought to be a species of Elaphrosaurus, but later scientists gave it its own genus in 2004.1

Its neck vertebrae have flat, wide spines on top, which is why it was named 'spine vertebra'.1

Scientists are not sure exactly how big Spinostropheus was. One estimate says 4 meters (13 feet) long, another says 6.2 meters (20.3 feet).1

The fossils of Spinostropheus were found in rocks that are between about 167 and 164 million years old, from the Middle Jurassic.1

Some scientists think Spinostropheus might be a close relative of Ceratosaurus, while others think it is more like a tetanuran dinosaur.1

AI-made picture of Spinostropheus — An AI-made picture of how Spinostropheus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Spinostropheus

?How big was Spinostropheus?

Scientists are not sure. One estimate says about 4 meters (13 feet) long and 200 kg (441 lbs), while another says 6.2 meters (20.3 feet).1

?What did Spinostropheus eat?

It was a carnivore, so it ate meat.1 2

?When did Spinostropheus live?

It lived during the Middle Jurassic period, about 167 to 164 million years ago.1

?Where was Spinostropheus found?

Its fossils were found in Niger, Africa, in the Tiourarén Formation.1

?Is Spinostropheus a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a theropod dinosaur.1

?Why is it called Spinostropheus?

Its name means 'spine vertebra' because of the flat, wide spines on its neck bones.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Spinostropheus
Named by: Sereno et al. 20042
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Ceratosauria2
Classification: Theropoda > Ceratosauria2
Age of the rocks: 162 to 94 million years (Oxfordian / Cenomanian)2
Rock formations: Echkar, Tiourarén2
Countries: Niger2
Fossil records: 3 in the Paleobiology Database2
Discovery: Albert-Félix de Lapparent discovered the fossils in 1959 near Oued Timmersöi in Niger. He named it Elaphrosaurus gautieri in 1960. In 2004, Paul Sereno and colleagues renamed it Spinostropheus gautieri.1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Spinostropheus is a ceratosaur or a tetanuran dinosaur.1

Where the facts come from

Spinostropheus (en.wikipedia.org)
Spinostropheus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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