Spinosaurus Takes Over NAT GEO

Move over Tyrannosaurus rex! National Geographic Explorer Nizar Ibrahim worked with colleagues to digitally reconstruct the Spinosaurus and confirmed that it grew up to 15 meters in length and was 3 meters larger than T. rex.

The first partial skeletons of the Spinosaurus were found by Bavarian paleontologist, Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach in the Egyptian Sahara on an expedition. The fossils were displayed in Munich Germany but were destroyed during WWII.

Ibrahim was inspired by children’s books that featured the Spinosaurus and later learned about Stromer’s discovery while studying in the United Kingdom.

While traveling in Morocco for his studies, Ibrahim bought some fossils not realizing their actual value. The next year, he was shown a partial Spinosaurus skeleton and realized the fossils he owned matched this skeleton.

Using all known information he had collected over the years, he and his colleagues were able to create a computer model and 3D-printed life-size Spinosaurus skeleton. With this information they verified it was not only larger than T. rex but also the only carnivore to walk on four legs.