Length 1.17 inches 29.7mm
Date Obtained August 2020
Location Kem Kem beds, Begga, Morocco
Age 96 million years, Cenomanian, Cretaceous
All our fossils are consolidated with paraloid b72, to preserve for future generations as is standard procedure within all museums. No repair or restoration to this fossil.
It is still being debated how many spinosaurids are present in the Kem Kem Beds. Virtually nothing is known about the potentially valid genus Sigilmassasaurus, but Spinosaurus aegyptiacus is currently thought to have lived much like a stork or heron, stalking aquatic prey such as crocodiles and giant fish from the water's edge, though some argue it was specialized for a largely aquatic life in the water itself.
The Kem Kem Beds of Morocco date to the middle of the Cretaceous Period and seem to preserve an unusual delta ecosystem with a high proportion of carnivores, including Spinosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, two abelisaurids, Deltadromeus and an abundance of crocodylomorphs, in addition to many species of freshwater fish. Herbivorous dinosaurs seem to consist almost entirely of sauropods and some paleontologists believe that aquatic prey served the base of the predatory food chain.