![]() The osteology of spinosaurid teeth and bones has suggested a semiaquatic lifestyle for some members of this clade. Direct fossil evidence and anatomical adaptations indicate that spinosaurids were at least partially piscivorous (fish-eating), with additional fossil finds indicating they also fed on other dinosaurs and pterosaurs. The closely related genus Sigilmassasaurus may have reached a similar or greater size, though its taxonomy is disputed. The genus Spinosaurus, from which the family, their subfamily (Spinosaurinae), and their tribe (Spinosaurini) borrow their names, is the longest known terrestrial predator from the fossil record, with an estimated length of up to 14 meters (46 ft) and body mass of up to 7.4 metric tons (8.2 short tons). In many species, the upwards-projecting neural spines of the vertebrae (backbones) were significantly elongated and formed a sail on the animal's back (hence the family's etymology), which supported either a layer of skin or a fatty hump. Their robust shoulders wielded stocky forelimbs, with three-fingered hands that bore an enlarged claw on the first digit. The nostrils of spinosaurids were retracted to a position further back on the head than in most other theropods, and they had bony crests on their heads along the midline of their skulls. The tips of their upper and lower jaws fanned out into a spoon-shaped structure similar to a rosette, behind which there was a notch in the upper jaw that the expanded tip of the lower jaw fit into. Their crocodilian-like skulls were long, low and narrow, bearing conical teeth with reduced or absent serrations. Spinosaurids were large bipedal carnivores. Their remains have generally been attributed to the Early to Mid Cretaceous. Spinosaurid fossils have been recovered worldwide, including Africa, Europe, South America and Asia. They came into prominence during the Cretaceous period. The Spinosauridae (or spinosaurids) are a clade or family of theropod dinosaurs comprising ten to seventeen known genera.
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