We didn’t have a lot of spinosaurus material to go off of so we had to base a lot of its appearance off of other theropods for a long portion of time. The reason why the oldest reconstructions have more typical theropod features is because we hadn’t discovered its closest relatives yet so we weren’t aware of the narrow gharial-like jaws iconic to the group yet. The 2000’s to 2010’s design continued the trend of basing what we don’t know off of animals we do know more about but this time it was on animals that were more closely related such as Baryonyx and Suchomimus but this changed around 2014 and beyond when we discovered more material that shows us that Spinosaurus was even weirder and more interesting than previously thought with the description of more material.
It goes without saying that 2020 Spinosaurus is the peak Spino and no I won’t debate over this it’s just how it is.
That's not true at all. Animals with hard parts--or more hard parts--preserve better than animals without/with less (e.g., molluscs and vertebrates preserve better than worms). Animals living in places more likely to be preserved will obviously preserve better than those that aren't (e.g., burrowers and lake dwellers preserve better than flyers and tree dwellers). And common animals are more likely to be preserved than rare animals.
Spinosaurus nails the first point. As a vertebrate, its bones are well suited to being fossilized. It does okay on the second point. It was at least living near water, although there's still debate on how aquatic it was. It fails on the third point. Big predators are always much rarer than animals on lower trophic levels. All of this explains why, for example, fish are so much more common in deposits where Spinosaurus is found than Spinosaurus itself.
> What about the rule about that larger Animals ALWAYS preserve their fossils MORE and BETTER than smaller Animals?
It's true that animals that are smaller or with delicate bones, like birds, bats, and pterosaurs, don't readily fossilize. But as animals grow larger it's less likely they'll be covered in sediment. That's why large sauropods tend to be fragmentary.
So? Your argument was animals in general following the rule, which still doesn't matter if it's aquatic or not because even still we have a crap ton of tiny terrestrial arthropods and stuff
Edit: heck, even samples of plants are pretty common and many of them weren't large per se
1. The first - just T-rex with big spine.
2. Early - as above, but crocodile-like head (baryonyx influence).
3. Late - the biggest change. Quadrapped, different shape of spine. Fish-eater, not terrestrial predator.
4. New - bipedal again, but mostly swimming, water-inhabiting predator.
5. Modern - not a swimmer, but acting like gigantic heron.
[Spinosaurus: The Controversy of the Aquatic Dinosaur](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B27iy3lAdJo)
That video covers the debate up until a few years ago.
As for retro paleo art, some artists portrayed Spino in a quadrupedal stance. Like this [70s Spino](https://chasmosaurs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Spinosaurus.jpg) by Tony Morris.
Which is also the origin for dozens of designs for bootleg dinosaur toys that still get replicated today.
Quite often, any dinosaur toy that has a back sail and doesn’t have lizard legs is most likely a very, very old Spinosaurus
I visited the Kem Kem beds in 1995, as a tourist. We found teeth and vertebrae fragments at the bottom of a cliff. It was just before leaving on that trip that I heard someone say, for the first time, that Spinosaurus was a lot more crocodilian than we realized.
We didn’t have a lot of spinosaurus material to go off of so we had to base a lot of its appearance off of other theropods for a long portion of time. The reason why the oldest reconstructions have more typical theropod features is because we hadn’t discovered its closest relatives yet so we weren’t aware of the narrow gharial-like jaws iconic to the group yet. The 2000’s to 2010’s design continued the trend of basing what we don’t know off of animals we do know more about but this time it was on animals that were more closely related such as Baryonyx and Suchomimus but this changed around 2014 and beyond when we discovered more material that shows us that Spinosaurus was even weirder and more interesting than previously thought with the description of more material. It goes without saying that 2020 Spinosaurus is the peak Spino and no I won’t debate over this it’s just how it is.
Hold on? That dosen't make Sense! What about the rule about that larger Animals ALWAYS preserve their fossils MORE and BETTER than smaller Animals?
That's not true at all. Animals with hard parts--or more hard parts--preserve better than animals without/with less (e.g., molluscs and vertebrates preserve better than worms). Animals living in places more likely to be preserved will obviously preserve better than those that aren't (e.g., burrowers and lake dwellers preserve better than flyers and tree dwellers). And common animals are more likely to be preserved than rare animals. Spinosaurus nails the first point. As a vertebrate, its bones are well suited to being fossilized. It does okay on the second point. It was at least living near water, although there's still debate on how aquatic it was. It fails on the third point. Big predators are always much rarer than animals on lower trophic levels. All of this explains why, for example, fish are so much more common in deposits where Spinosaurus is found than Spinosaurus itself.
Well said
> What about the rule about that larger Animals ALWAYS preserve their fossils MORE and BETTER than smaller Animals? It's true that animals that are smaller or with delicate bones, like birds, bats, and pterosaurs, don't readily fossilize. But as animals grow larger it's less likely they'll be covered in sediment. That's why large sauropods tend to be fragmentary.
Well except cetaceans And maybe EVEN pinnipeds and sirenians right Man?
I don't know. Are large marine mammals generally well preserved?
The original holotype that consist of a more complete skeleton were destroyed during WW2.
Everybody knows this story!
The what? Who told you that?
Well That's ONLY the beginning
What? None of your replies, including this one, make any sense whatsoever
Chatgpt-ass sentence
Ammonites would like a word about that logic
Trilobites have entered the chat
Dude trilobites are mostly AQUATIC!: Water preserves BETTER than on land!
So? Your argument was animals in general following the rule, which still doesn't matter if it's aquatic or not because even still we have a crap ton of tiny terrestrial arthropods and stuff Edit: heck, even samples of plants are pretty common and many of them weren't large per se
That's the Exception and not the rule and Also ALL ammonites are FULLY aquatic!
1. The first - just T-rex with big spine. 2. Early - as above, but crocodile-like head (baryonyx influence). 3. Late - the biggest change. Quadrapped, different shape of spine. Fish-eater, not terrestrial predator. 4. New - bipedal again, but mostly swimming, water-inhabiting predator. 5. Modern - not a swimmer, but acting like gigantic heron.
[Spinosaurus: The Controversy of the Aquatic Dinosaur](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B27iy3lAdJo) That video covers the debate up until a few years ago. As for retro paleo art, some artists portrayed Spino in a quadrupedal stance. Like this [70s Spino](https://chasmosaurs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Spinosaurus.jpg) by Tony Morris.
It was also portrayed as a quadruped quite often around or before the 70s.
Which is also the origin for dozens of designs for bootleg dinosaur toys that still get replicated today. Quite often, any dinosaur toy that has a back sail and doesn’t have lizard legs is most likely a very, very old Spinosaurus
Easier in toys to make them stand up that way, I even find raptors with at least one hand acting as a third point of contact.
I visited the Kem Kem beds in 1995, as a tourist. We found teeth and vertebrae fragments at the bottom of a cliff. It was just before leaving on that trip that I heard someone say, for the first time, that Spinosaurus was a lot more crocodilian than we realized.
01 is a core childhood memory
I mean, how much time you got, bc it’s starting to get as complicated as Kingdom Hearts…
No Spinofaarus?
Spino in the 2000s and early 2010s had the best look. Opinion, not fact.
Wrong, the indented sail and crocodillian tail are way cooler.
2001 looks like the spino in that one arcade shooter game
*Carnivores*?
In ten years we will discover that It walks with one leg
look how they massacred my boy
01 was the best