Dino card No. 0848 of 2,015

Iberospinus

Say it: eye-BEER-oh-SPY-nus

Name means: “Iberian spine”3

Ate: MeatSpinosaursEarly Cretaceous

Iberospinus was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived about 125 million years ago. It had a long snout and sharp teeth, and it probably hunted near water. Scientists think it was a medium-sized spinosaur, a group known for eating fish.1 2

Lived

126 to 121 million years ago3

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Portugal, specifically at Praia das Aguncheiras in the Papo Seco Formation.3 2

Food

Meat3 2

Artist's life restoration of Iberospinus — How Iberospinus may have looked, by Paleoart by Victor Feijó de Carvalho commissioned by Octávio Mateus and Darío Estraviz-López. CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Scientists still argue about colours and details.

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Iberospinus had a single hole in its lower jaw, which is unusual for spinosaurs. This helps scientists tell it apart from its relatives.2

Its lower jaw had a straight bottom edge, not upturned like some other spinosaurs. This is one of the features that makes it unique.2

Iberospinus lived in a lagoon environment with some freshwater and marine influences. Fish scales and teeth are common in the same rocks, so it probably hunted in the water.2

The fossils were first thought to belong to Baryonyx, but new bones found in 2020 showed they were a different dinosaur. That's when scientists named Iberospinus.1 2

Iberospinus is closely related to Baryonyx and Suchomimus, but it is not part of the same group. Scientists think it branched off earlier.1 2

The name Iberospinus means 'Iberian spine', referring to the Iberian Peninsula where it was found. The species name natarioi honors Carlos Natário, who discovered the fossil.2

Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Iberospinus is the same as Baryonyx because the fossils were once assigned to that dinosaur.

Truth: Scientists now know Iberospinus is a different genus. It has unique features in its jaw and other bones that separate it from Baryonyx.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Iberospinus
Named by: Mateus and Estraviz-López 20223
Group: Spinosaurs
Family / clade: Spinosauridae3
Classification: Theropoda > Spinosauridae3
Age of the rocks: 126 to 121 million years (Barremian)3
Rock formations: Papo Seco3
Countries: Portugal3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The first fossils were found by Carlos Natário in Portugal, but they were originally thought to be Baryonyx. After new material was recovered in 2020, scientists Octávio Mateus and Darío Estraviz-López named it Iberospinus natarioi in 2022.2 3
Still debated: Scientists are still debating exactly where Iberospinus fits in the spinosaur family tree. Some features suggest it is related to Baryonyx and Suchomimus, but other features point to a different position.1 2

Where the facts come from

A new theropod dinosaur from the early cretaceous (Barremian) of Cabo Espichel, Portugal: Implications for spinosaurid evolution. - Abstract - Europe PMC (europepmc.org)
A new theropod dinosaur from the early cretaceous (Barremian) of Cabo Espichel, Portugal: Implications for spinosaurid evolution (journals.plos.org)
Iberospinus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@dinowiki.app and we will fix it.