Quote from: Master Chief on Sep 25, 2023, 04:52:47 PMCould the Spinosaurus really swim? I'm talking full on Crocodilia mode. Been seeing some really good videos on IG and thought I'd ask my dino experts on the site.
I'm a bit out of date but I think that in addition to the crocodile-like features on the skull, there is fossil evidence of fish scales in the stomach region of a related species called Baryonyx. Now, regarding Spinosaurus, I believe that these were the research findings that implied a hypothetical aquatic lifestyle:
QuoteA 2010 isotope analysis by Romain Amiot and colleagues found that oxygen isotope ratios of spinosaurid teeth, including teeth of Spinosaurus, indicate semiaquatic lifestyles. Isotope ratios from tooth enamel and from other parts of Spinosaurus (found in Morocco and Tunisia) and of other predators from the same area such as Carcharodontosaurus were compared with isotopic compositions from contemporaneous theropods, turtles, and crocodilians. The study found that Spinosaurus teeth from five of six sampled localities had oxygen isotope ratios closer to those of turtles and crocodilians when compared with other theropod teeth from the same localities.
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New Research Refutes Claims That Spinosaurus Was Semi Aquatic/
Although the above is not conclusive since scientists are still trying to find out, not only how this fascinating animal lived, but even the physical appearance of the theropod itself. That's where memes come from lol.😅
