Suchomimus

Suchomimus tenerensis

Named crocodile mimic for its long, narrow, crocodilian snout, Suchomimus tenerensis was a large spinosaurid of about 11 meters and near 5,200 kilograms. Rows of conical teeth and enlarged thumb claws equipped this piscivore for seizing fish, and a low ridge or sail ran along its back. Paul Sereno and colleagues described it in 1998 from the Elrhaz Formation of Niger, the same Early Cretaceous beds, roughly 145 to 100 million years ago, that produced Nigersaurus. It represents the spinosaurid lineage in Africa alongside its close relatives from Europe and South America, evidence of how widespread these fish-eating predators became.

Suchomimus means crocodile mimic, named for its long, narrow, crocodilian snout. Like other spinosaurids, it was adapted for fishing with its conical teeth and enlarged thumb claws. A low sail ran along its back.

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Physical Description

Measurement	Value	Human Scale
ความยาว	11.0 m	about as long as 2 cars end-to-end
Height	3.6 m	—
น้ำหนัก	5.2 t	about the weight of 0.9 elephants

Diet & Feeding

Piscivore

Suchomimus was a fish-eating dinosaur. Piscivores typically lived near water sources and had specialized adaptations such as elongated snouts and conical teeth for catching fish.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Suchomimus lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145.0 to 100.5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.

Discovery & Naming

ตั้งชื่อโดย	Paul Sereno et al.
ปีที่ค้นพบ	1998
สถานที่ค้นพบ	Elrhaz Formation, Niger

การจำแนกประเภท

Dinosauria → Saurischia → Theropoda → Spinosauridae → Suchomimus

Spine lizards

Large theropods with elongated snouts and conical teeth adapted for catching fish. Spinosaurus is the largest known predatory dinosaur, estimated at 15-18 meters long.

Size Comparison

At 11.0 meters long and 5200.0 kg, Suchomimus was about as long as 2 cars end-to-end and about the weight of 0.9 elephants.

Other dinosaurs from the same period:

Musivavis amabilis Aquatilavipes izumiensis Magnoavipes caneeri Siamraptor suwati Microvenator celer Jixiangornis orientalis

Quick Facts

การจำแนกประเภท	Spinosauridae
ยุคธรณีวิทยา	Cretaceous Early
อาหาร	Piscivore
ขนาด	11.0m long, 3.6m tall, 5.2t