Iberospinus is a genus of possibly Baryonychine basal Spinosaurid[1], that lived in what is now Portugal, during the Early Cretaceous.[2]
Description[]
Skeletal reconstruction of Iberospinus, by Scott Hartman.
Iberospinus is a large-sized bipedal Carnivore, with the holotype specimen having been esimated to be about 9 meters in length.[3] The specimen includes: dentary, isolated teeth, scapula, ribs, a dorsal vertebra, neural arches, pubic shaft, 15 caudal vertebrae, calcanea, and one pedal ungual.
It is a medium sized spinosaurid diagnosable by: the dentary with only one foramen in the Meckelian sulcus and a straight ventral edge (not upturned), the presence of laminae in the pleurocelic depression of the medio-distal caudal vertebrae, the straight anterior rim of the scapula (acromion not protruding); the reduced acromial ridge of the scapula and the contact with coracoid occupying the entire ventral surface of it; the pubic apron being thick in almost the entire length of the pubis shaft, and the presence of a mound-like eminence in the proximal lateral part of the pubis.[4]
Classification[]
Phylogenetic analysis by Octávio Mateus and Darío Estraviz-López recovers Iberospinus natarioi outside of the clade formed by Suchomimus and Baryonyx, although other characters (like the teeth denticles) point towards an affinity with baryonychines. However several anatomical features also point to a likely of position of basal Spinosauridae. It is also suggested that Iberospinus, along with many other Iberian Spinosaur taxa, are to have originated from western Europe.[4]
Palaeoecology[]
Iberospinus was only one of the many other diverse Spinosaurid taxa of Iberia, having most likely coexisted with Camarillasaurus, Baryonyx, and Vallibonaventrix.
Diet[]
A 2016 study by the Belgian palaeontologist Christophe Hendrickx and colleagues. They found that adult spinosaurs could displace their mandibular rami (halves of the lower jaw) sideways when the jaw was depressed, which allowed the pharynx (opening that connects the mouth to the oesophagus) to be widened. This jaw-articulation is similar to that seen in pterosaurs and living pelicans, and would likewise have allowed spinosaurids to swallow large prey such as fish and other animals. They also reported that the Portuguese Iberospinus (previously known and interpreted as Iberian Baryonyx specimens) fossils were found with direct association to Iguanodon teeth, and listed it along with other such associations as support for truly opportunistic feeding behavior seen in spinosaur species.[5]
Other Wikis[]
References[]
- ↑ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0262614#sec010
- ↑ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0262614#sec005
- ↑ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0262614#sec005
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0262614#sec033
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4703214
- https://www.newscientist.com/article/2308689-newly-identified-dinosaur-had-teeth-that-were-constantly-replaced/
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10519779/Huge-dinosaur-crocodile-like-skull-spiny-roamed-Portugal-125-million-years-ago.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/newly-discovered-dinosaur-sheds-light-on-evolution-of-mysterious-giant-spinosaurs/
- https://metro.co.uk/2022/02/16/huge-dinosaur-that-looked-like-a-crocodile-unearthed-in-portugal-16116895/
- https://nerdshala.com/125-million-year-old-crocodile-faced-relative-of-spinosaurus-discovered-the-new-dinosaur-mayve-been-a-fish-hunting-predator-that-waded-through-waters/
- https://www.cnet.com/news/125-million-year-old-crocodile-faced-relative-of-spinosaurus-discovered/
- https://expresso.pt/sociedade/iberospinus-natarioi-o-nome-e-estranho-mas-foi-assim-que-batizaram-o-novo-dinossauro-descoberto-no-cabo-espichel%EF%BF%BC/
- https://expressdigest.com/huge-dinosaur-with-a-crocodile-like-skull-and-spiny-back-roamed-portugal-125-million-years-ago/
- https://observador.pt/2022/02/16/novo-dinossauro-portugues-com-130-milhoes-de-anos-descoberto-no-cabo-espichel/
- https://wstpost.com/giant-dinosaur-with-crocodile-like-skull-and-spiked-back-roamed-portugal-125-million-years-ago/
- https://techiai.com/125-million-year-old-crocodile-faced-relative-of-spinosaurus-discovered/
- https://sol.sapo.pt/artigo/762610/descoberto-novo-dinossauro-na-peninsula-iberica
- https://technohoop.com/125-million-calendar-year-outdated-crocodile-faced-relative-of-spinosaurus-found-out/
- https://tamiltechcentral.com/2022/02/17/125-million-12-months-outdated-crocodile-confronted-relative-of-spinosaurus-found/
- https://newsnetdaily.com/125-million-year-old-crocodile-faced-spinosaurus-relative-discovered/
- https://www.cover24news.com/125-million-12-months-outdated-crocodile-confronted-relative-of-spinosaurus-found/
- https://cryptopress.network/huge-dinosaur-that-looked-like-a-crocodile-unearthed-in-portugal/