In the list of the largest dinosaurs, plant-eating sauropods occupy all the top spots, but large carnivorous dinosaurs lived alongside them during the Mesozoic Era.
Illustration of Spinosaurus compared to human size
A reconstruction of Spinosaurus based on research that suggests the dinosaur was likely semi-aquatic, spending its time in and around water hunting for food.
Weight: 7.4 tons
Length: 14 meters
Spinosaurus is a giant theropod dinosaur that lived in the late Cretaceous period about 95-70 million years ago. It is the longest known carnivorous dinosaur, about three times the length of the African elephant and more than 20% heavier than it.
Spinosaurus is best known for having a large hump or sail-like structure on its back. There are several theories as to what this is for, including mating displays, thermoregulation and even intimidation of other animals.
Spinosaurus may have been an outlier among dinosaurs and may have lived a semi-aquatic life, catching fish while completely submerged in water, although this idea is questioned by some scientists.
