Spinosaurus: Evidence For A Sail, Not A Hump
Rex Fan 684
MemberCompsognathusJanuary 05, 20147971 Views34 RepliesIt's been stated once and a while that Spinosaurus had a hump rather than a sail. However, I have been doing some digging and came up with three points that support the sail theory.
1. It would slow down the animal. Being that big already would have made Spinosaurus pretty slow(20 mph or so). Add a massive, fatty hump, and suddenly he's even heavier, and therefore, slower.
2. Spinosaurus lived in the wet, humid environs of middle Cretaceous Africa, not the water-parched deserts inhabited by modern camels. (Ironically, the jungle-like region of northern Africa inhabited by Spinosaurus 100 million years ago is today mostly covered by the Sahara Desert, one of the driest places on earth.) It's hard to imagine that a hump would have been a favored evolutionary adaptation in a place where food (and water) was relatively plentiful.
3. A Spinosaurus "spine" was recovered(in 2008 I believe) and it was bitten in half. It's been assumed that the injury was caused by a Carcharodontosaurus. If Spinosaurus had a hump, it would have been very difficult for a Carcharodontosaurus to bite through that thick layer of fat and muscle to reach the bone below(keep in mind Carcharodontosaurus had a pretty weak bite). The only way it could have bitten the spine in half would be if it was relatively exposed with only a thin layer of skin protecting it.
So, all in all there seems to be some good evidence supporting the sail theory. However, nothing is certain. I just felt like sharing this with you all. As far as the sail/hump debate, the jury is still out.
Well, If its a thin hump, it would be more of a sail, would it not...
Also, If it was a hump, like a full blown not thin one, it would not have those "spines" for the sails to hold it up, it would hold itself up like a camel
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However, to play the devils prada, it could use it as a stabilizer, but it would need to be thin... Or very wide...
So In conclusion, It could have a thin hump, but it wouldnt be a hump, because humps are wider. So It is most likely a sail... But could very easily be a hump, But until we have enough info for clousure its impossible to be sure...
@Rex Fan 684 Hmm, Come to think of it, I do remember, I probably forgot about it...
Life cannot be contained, it breaks walls, crashes through barriers sometimes painfully, but uh... Life uh, finds a way
