Suchomimus
Suchomimus tenerensis
Pronounced: Sue - koe - My - mus
Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)
Name Means: "Crocodile Mimic"
Length: 40 feet (13 m)
Height: 16 feet (5 m)
Weight: 6 tons (6,000 kilos)
Time: Middle Cretaceous - 100 MYA
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found in North Africa
1uchomimus was very similar to
Spinosaurus but it didn't have the tall sail
on its back. Along with its cousin, Suchomimus ate
mostly fish, which it caught with its long, thin snout
full of sharp, cone-shaped teeth. It was discovered in
1998 and has given scientists a much clearer picture of
what this fish-eating family of dinosaurs, which also
includes Baryonyx
, was like.
The discovery of Suchomimus has helped both scientists and the general public understand the rich diversity of life that lived in Africa millions of years ago. It has also provided scientist with valuable clues about the migration of the spinosaurs from Europe into Africa. Although it did not have nearly as prominent a sail as Spinosaurus Suchomimus did have sacral vertebrae that supported a two-foot (.7 m) sail on its back. Some scientists are questioning whether this dinosaur is a unique genus or if it might be a species of Baryonyx. |
