Spinosaurus

dinosaur · prehistoric · Africa · swimmer

Built for water. Spinosaurus lived in North Africa about 100 to 94 million years ago and is thought to have spent lots of time in rivers hunting fish.

That famous sail. It had a tall sail of spines rising from its back, which is how it got its name meaning 'spine lizard.'

Lost forever. The very first fossils were found in Egypt in 1912, but they were destroyed during World War II, leaving scientists with only drawings.

New clues. Luckily, more Spinosaurus bones were discovered in the early 2000s in places like Morocco, helping scientists learn even more.

A puzzle. Scientists still aren't sure if the fossils belong to just one species or two, it's a mystery they're still solving.