Dinosaur genus
Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 125.8–93.9 million years old, in 5 countries, most often Morocco and Algeria.
medium
medium: Only Wikidata gives this; nothing contradicts it.Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.
At a glance
Data as of 12 October 2026- Named by
- Stromer 1915
high
high: PBDB and Wikidata agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- E. Stromer (1915). Ergebnisse der Forschungsreisen Prof. E. Stromers in den Wüsten Ägyptens. II. Wirbeltier-Reste der Baharîje-Stufe (unterstes Cenoman). 3. Das Original des Theropoden Spinosaurus aegyptiacus nov. gen., nov. spec. Abhandlungen der Königlich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Mathematisch-physikalische Klasse Abhandlung 28(3): 1–31.
high
high: PBDB gives this publication for the name; its author and year match the naming authority (Stromer 1915), on which PBDB and Wikidata agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
- Type species
- Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Lived
- Barremian to Campanian, 125.8–72.2 million years ago
high
high: PBDB and NHM agree.Omnisaura calculation125.8–93.9 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 27 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Fossils found in
- MoroccoAlgeria
high
high: NHM and PBDB both record it.Egyptmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).Nigermedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).Tunisiamedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
- Kem Kem BedsAïn el Guettar
high
high: An Omnisaura editor ruled on it.Baharîjemedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Douiramedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).Echkarmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Farakmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).Grès rougesmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Ifezouanemedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Quseirmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).Continental Intercalairemedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Gara Samanilow
low: Only one PBDB record.Gara Sbaalow
low: Only one PBDB record.low
low: Only one PBDB record.mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
- Family
- Spinosauridae
high
high: PBDB and NHM agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Parent group
- Spinosaurini
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Order
- Saurischia
medium
medium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.
- Named after
- Lacertilia; vertebral column
medium
medium: Only Wikidata gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Wikidata. How it was chosen: Wikidata leads.
- Known from
- Bones
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
Gaps are answers
What isn't known yet
- Held back: 14 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf." or "?").
- Held back: 1 fossil record left out: identified as a related genus rather than this one.
- Held back: 8 fossil records left out: identified only to a broader group, not to this genus.
- Resting on one source: 5 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): type species (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); order (NHM); common names (Wikidata); named after (Wikidata).
Size, diet and behaviour aren't covered yet. Omnisaura leaves them out rather than guess.
Where sources disagree
None open. Where our sources overlap, they agree on everything shown here.
Did it meet…?
No. Spinosaurus had gone at least 10.3 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record.
Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.
Lived alongside
Genera found in the same rock formations, from rocks of the same age.
Same family
Other genera in Spinosauridae with a full profile.
Credits
Where this page comes from
- Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
- Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
- WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
- OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
- PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
- Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines
Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.