A newly discovered 'hell heron' dinosaur, Spinosaurus mirabilis, has been found in the remote Sahara, 70 years after the initial clue was discovered. This meat-eating dinosaur, which lived 95 to 100 million years ago, may have rivaled the T. rex in size. The fossil remains were found in the Sahara Desert, in a remote location called Jenguebi, in the country of Niger. 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. 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. The 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.
