Most dinosaurs didn’t swim—but this ‘dino equivalent of Jaws’ sure did
Cretaceous fish, beware! (Davide Bonadonna/)For millions of years, dinosaurs ruled the land and sky. For whatever reason, though, the ferocious beasts never took the deep dive into the open seas. Sure, some were believed to splash around or wade in prehistoric rivers, not unlike a lizard-like version of today’s grizzly bears. But a full-on marine dino? Until recently, that was the stuff of science fiction—and probably a fish’s worst nightmare.Back in 2014, a team of scientists led by Nizar Ibrahim of the University of Detroit Mercy discovered a partial fossil of a massive spinosaurus in Morocco. This creature had short back legs, a crocodile-like snout, and pulled-back nostrils, not unlike animals we see with semi-aquatic lifestyles today. These were all hints that this particular dino might have found itself at ease wading into the water, but there wasn’t enough evidence to suggest the animal was a full-time swimmer.What they really...