#  Dinosaurs were aquatic! 

 





April 29, 2020

 

 

- [ News ](/news-categories/news)
 
 

 

 *Spinosaurus* has a giant tail fin! And, it used it to swim! Long awaited paper published today in *Nature* describes new fossil material that shows the tail of the large-bodied theropod *Spinosaurus* was dorsoventrally expanded into a paddle-like appendage. Working in collaboration with Nizar Ibrahim - spinosaur extraordinaire - Stephanie and MCZ colleague George Lauder use biorobotics to show that the tail of *Spinosaurus* could produce forward thrust more similar to modern aquatic tetrapods (e.g. crocodiles and salamanders) than other dinosaurs. Implication: dinosaurs invaded the aquatic realm!

 The Harvard Gazette highlight this work in a story called [Water Beast.](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/04/new-paper-suggests-spinosaurus-may-have-been-aquatic/) Also see the story by [National Geographic](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/first-spinosaurus-tail-found-confirms-dinosaur-was-swimming/).

 Ibrahim, N., Maganuco, S., Dal Sasso, C. *et al...*Pierce SE. [Tail-propelled aquatic locomotion in a theropod dinosaur.](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2190-3?fbclid=IwAR0L5RZ3PkBLnFvJAd5qAIYpspLa9x9JNpg52VILAcU3iJynnkZZVjLgOTE#citeas) *Nature* **581,** 67–70 (2020).



 

 

 



 

 

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