Species Profile - Spinosaurus



Spinosaurus In Game

Database Classification Diet Piscivore

Carnivore PiscivoreCarnivore Era Early Cretaceous Family Spinosauridae Dig Sites Bahariya Formation

Chenini Formation 🔊 Audio Size Height Length Weight 6.38 m

(20.9 feet) 15.00 m

(49.2 feet) 18,140 kg

(20.0 tons) Enclosure Feeder Type Grassland Forest Wetland 14,208 m² 833 m² 5,114 m² Social Comfort Threshold Social Group Ideal Population 70% 0-2 0-13 Traits Attack 101 Defence 37 Lifespan 59 Resilience 35 Rating 240

I know this dinosaur... it’s a Spinosaurus. So named because of the spines running down its back. Seriously, who needs a PhD for this one?

- Cabot Finch

Spinosaurus is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that originated in Early Cretaceous Africa. One of the largest species of carnivorous theropod, Spinosaurus is first encountered during the main campaign as a wild animal on Isla Sorna. Spinosaurus fossils can then be excavated from the Bahariya Formation and Chenini Formation.

In the Secrets of Dr. Wu expansion pack, Spinosaurus can be fused with Velociraptor to create the Spinoraptor hybrid.

History

After the San Diego Incident in 1997, which brought the existence of dinosaurs on Isla Sorna to public knowledge, the failing InGen, which had all but collapsed in the wake of the disaster, was purchased by Masrani Global.[1] Only one hundred days after the deal was finalized, and in violation of the Gene Guard Act, which banned access to Isla Sorna and the cloning of prehistoric species, an InGen team incubated several new species of dinosaur, including Ankylosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Corythosaurus, and most notably, Spinosaurus.[1]

Bred covertly in 1999 under hybrid "Amalgam Testing", which paved the way for genetically modified creations such as the Indominus rex, the Spinosaurus was experimented on over a period of nine months before being abandoned on the island.[1][2]

In 2001, the only Spinosaurus known to have been cloned by InGen was encountered on numerous occasions by the survivors of a plane crash on Isla Sorna and was responsible for the deaths of numerous individuals, as well as a Tyrannosaurus which had entered its territory.[3] Reports of the Spinosaurus was later reported to the authorities by the survivors, but it was covered up by "bribed officials" and went undisclosed until 2015.[1]

The introduction of the Spinosaurus, and to a lesser extent the other illegal species, had a profound impact on the ecosystem of Isla Sorna, resulting in a considerable population drop which mystified the scientific community until 2015. In 2004, the surviving dinosaurs on Sorna were transported to Jurassic World on Isla Nublar, though it remains unconfirmed if the Spinosaurus was among them.[1] As of 2018, it has been revealed that the Spinosaurus population was the victim of an unconfirmed form of cruelty, likely referring to the aforementioned 1999 "Amalgam Testing".[4] It is unknown if there are any surviving populations.[5]

Description

Heavily built and fearsome, the base genome of the Spinosaurus is primarily grey with distinctive patterns of red across the body, and blue circular patterns across its impressive sail.

Behaviour

A territorial carnivore, Spinosaurus is among the largest predators available to the Hammond Foundation. In comparison to carnivores such as Tyrannosaurus and the Indominus rex, Spinosaurus is more tolerant of its own kind, and can happily coexist with another member of its species. The species also tolerates up to thirteen other dinosaurs in its enclosure, of various species. Like other spinosaurids such as Baryonyx and Suchomimus, Spinosaurus have a wetland need, requiring enclosures containing at least 5,114m² of water to avoid becoming stressed. In addition to the Carnivore and Live Bait feeders, Spinosaurus also feed from Fish Feeders.

Paleontology

Described as being potentially the largest theropod dinosaur ever discovered and recognizable by the large sail on its back, Spinosaurus remains have been found in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Niger. The first remains were found in Egypt by a German palaeontological team led by Ernst Stromer in 1915 and brought to a museum in Munich. Unfortunately, these fossils were destroyed during a bombing raid in World War II.

In the 1990s, new discoveries emerged revealing a crocodile-like snout, as well as bones indicating that Spinosaurus was among the largest theropods ever found. From the 1990s to the early 2010s, Spinosaurus was depicted as a primarily terrestrial carnivore with a body plan similar to that of other theropods. However, discoveries in 2014 and 2020 have revealed the animal had relatively short hind-limbs, and a long tail with neural spines, forming a flexible fin or paddle-like structure adapted to swimming under water.[6]

The sail of Spinosaurus has also been a point of discussion, like that of Ouranosaurus, with some claiming it is a large sail for display or thermoregulation like Dimetrodon, others arguing it is a fat-filled hump like that of a camel for dry periods, while some believe it acted like a dorsal fin to help in swimming. The only species of Spinosaurus discovered was S. aegyptiacus. However, a potential second species was uncovered in Morocco in 1996, called S. moroccanus.

Paleoecology

Spinosaurus lived in what is now northern Africa, in coastal wetlands covered with mangrove forests. It lived alongside similar large predatory theropods such as Bahariasaurus and Carcharodontosaurus, smaller theropods such as Rugops and Deltadromeus, the titanosaur sauropods Paralititan and Aegyptosaurus, large crocodylomorphs, pterosaurs, as well as plesiosaurs.

Available genomes

Fossil icon Dig site Quality Number available Bahariya Formation





1

3

6

4 Chenini Formation





1

3

6

4

Hybrid compatibility

Skins

Trivia

Spinosaurus was the seventeenth dinosaur to receive a species profile, on May 11th, 2018.

was the seventeenth dinosaur to receive a species profile, on May 11th, 2018. The appearance of the Spinosaurus in Jurassic World Evolution is directly based on the animal's depiction in Jurassic Park III , although the colours of its sail are more distinctive.

in is directly based on the animal's depiction in , although the colours of its sail are more distinctive. Spinosaurus appeared in Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis , considered by many to be Jurassic World Evolution's spiritual predecessor.

appeared in , considered by many to be spiritual predecessor. Like the Torosaurus , there is a slight dating error in the InGen file for Spinosaurus where the date of discovery is said to be 1922 instead of 1912.

, there is a slight dating error in the InGen file for where the date of discovery is said to be 1922 instead of 1912. At launch, the Spinosaurus was notably smaller than the Tyrannosaurus , but the latter was eventually slightly downsized and the former's size was in turn increased in Update 1.4.

was notably smaller than the , but the latter was eventually slightly downsized and the former's size was in turn increased in Update 1.4. Spinosaurus is the tallest carnivore in the game, as its back sail makes it slightly taller than the Indominus rex .

is the tallest carnivore in the game, as its back sail makes it slightly taller than the . The Jungle skin for Spinosaurus was added to the game in Update 1.6.1 on December 17th, 2018 as a reward for community hitting donation reward for the 24h Frontier Charity Stream.

Gallery

Spinosaurus increased in The scale of theincreased in Update 1.4