New 'hell heron' Spinosaurus species found in remote Sahara 70 years after fossil clue
Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a new species of Spinosaurus — the meat-eating dinosaur that may have rivaled T. rex in size.
The new species, called Spinosaurus mirabilis, lived 95 to 100 million years ago. The fossil remains were found in the Sahara Desert, in a remote location called Jenguebi, in the country of Niger.
Recently detailed in the journal Science, the discovery was years in the making — with researchers finding jaw fragments in 2019 and two additional crests in 2022.
Spinosaurus mirabilis was a shallow water predator that preyed on fish, though its habitat was 600 miles inland from the ancient Tethys Sea.
Researchers believe the dinosaur's crest — a large bony ridge rising from the top of the dinosaur's skull — was brightly colored and covered in keratin.
The study's leader, professor Paul Sereno, Ph.D., of the University of Chicago, described Spinosaurus mirabilis as a sort of "hell heron."
The dinosaur "had no problem wading on its sturdy legs into two meters of water, but probably spent most of its time stalking shallower traps for the many large fish of the day," said the professor, as news agency SWNS reported.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Sereno was tipped off to the site by a French geologist's monograph describing a fossilized tooth resembling that of a similar predator.
With the help of a local, he was led to the fossil field with the rest of his team — where they found the teeth and jaw bones.
"No one had been back to that tooth site in over 70 years," Sereno said.
"It was an adventure and a half wandering into the sand seas to search for this locale and then find an even more remote fossil area with the new species."
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Sereno described the find as "so sudden and amazing."
"It was really emotional for our team," he said.
"I’ll forever cherish the moment in camp when we crowded around a laptop to look at the new species for the first time, after one member of our team generated 3D digital models of the bones we found to assemble the skull — on solar power in the middle of the Sahara."
He added, "That’s when the significance of the discovery really registered."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
Fossil remains will be put on display in the Museum of the River in Niamey, Niger.
A replica, meanwhile, will be shown at the Chicago Children's Museum.
"Letting kids feel the excitement of new discoveries — that’s key to ensuring the next generation of scientists who will discover many more things about our precious planet worth preserving," Sereno said of the children's exhibit.
The discovery follows other dinosaur-related discoveries in the past several months.
In November, Australian researchers announced they uncovered the traces of a dinosaur that may have been limping over 150 million years ago in Colorado.
Earlier in 2025, scientists unearthed a new dinosaur — and its ancient leftovers — in a tourist hot spot in Argentina.