Using fossils recovered on the Isle of Wight and England’s south coast, scientists rebuilt the brain of the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever known to have roamed the Earth.
Spinosaurus, a Late Cretaceous period behemoth, was possibly the largest predator ever to exist, reaching 50 feet (15 meters) in length and weighing up to 20 tonnes.
Despite resembling the notorious Tyrannosaurus rex in appearance, the dinosaur has been described as “an enormous river monster” that controlled the waters of what is now north Africa.
Fossilized bones of the “water-loving” predator, thought to have been able to swim fully submerged while hunting with gigantic bone-crushing jaws capable of breaking other dinosaurs in half, have also been unearthed in recent years on the Isle of Wight.
Scientists at the University of Southampton are trying to digitally recreate the brain of a spinosaur
The University of Southampton has now attempted to digitally reproduce the brain of a spinosaur, which was generally enclosed in a six-foot-long skull.
Researchers studied the remains of two of the oldest spinosaurs whose braincase material has been discovered – a Baryonyx from Surrey and Ceratosuchops from the Isle of Wight – to understand more about how these dinosaurs interacted with their surroundings.
While Ceratosuchops was only discovered in 2021, scientists have already been able to rebuild the creatures’ brains and inner hearing, with “surprising” results given how they terrorized their prey 125 million years ago.
Because soft organs like the brain do not survive fossilization, the Southampton and University of Ohio researchers utilized CT scans to peep into perfectly preserved cranial cavities, creating a 3D model of the region known as an endocast.
The researchers discovered that spinosaurus’ olfactory bulbs – which process odors – were not especially developed, while the ear was probably tuned to low-frequency noises, according to studies to be published in the Journal of Anatomy.
They discovered that the components of the brain involved in keeping the head stable and the eyes fixed on prey
They discovered that the components of the brain involved in keeping the head stable and the eyes fixed on prey were possibly less developed than in later, more specialized spinosaurs.
“Despite their unusual ecology, it seems the brains and senses of these early spinosaurs retained many aspects in common with other large-bodied theropods – there is no evidence that their semi-aquatic lifestyles are reflected in the way their brains are organized,” said Chris Barker, a Ph.D. student at Southampton, who led the study.
According to one interpretation of the evidence, their theropod forebears already had brains and sensory adaptations for part-time fish capture, implying that spinosaurs simply needed to evolve an atypical snout and teeth to become adapted for a semi-aquatic existence.
“Because the skulls of all spinosaurs are so specialized for fish-catching, it’s surprising to see such ‘non-specialized’ brains,” said contributing author Dr. Darren Naish.
“But the results are still significant. It’s exciting to get so much information on sensory abilities – on hearing, sense of smell, balance, and so on – from British dinosaurs. Using cutting-edge technology, we obtained all the brain-related information we possibly could from these fossils,” Dr. Naish said.
The Dinosaur Isle Museum in Sandown, on the Isle of Wight
The Dinosaur Isle Museum in Sandown, on the Isle of Wight, will display a model of the spinosaur brain alongside its bones.
“This new research is just the latest in what amounts to a revolution in paleontology due to advances in CT-based imaging of fossils,” said co-author Lawrence M. Witmer, of Ohio University, who has been CT scanning dinosaurs, including Baryonyx, for a quarter of a century.
“We’re now in a position to be able to assess the cognitive and sensory capabilities of extinct animals and explore how the brain evolved in behaviourally extreme dinosaurs like spinosaurs.”
Dr. Neil Gostling who directs the University of Southampton’s EvoPalaeoLab said the latest study “highlights the vital importance British fossils have in our continually evolving, fast-moving understanding of dinosaurs” and shows how the UK “is at the forefront of spinosaur research”.
“Spinosaurs themselves are one of the most controversial of all dinosaur groups, and this study is a valuable addition to ongoing discussions of their biology and evolution,” Dr. Gostling added.