Dr. Rowe discusses the intriguing feeding habits of Spinosaurus, describing it as an unusual dinosaur. According to a recent study by researchers Dave Hone and Tom Holtz, Spinosaurus was likely found along shorelines, waiting to catch food as it passed by. However, its diet extended beyond fish. Evidence suggests that a pterosaur was found preserved within its remains, while iguanodon fossils have also been discovered in the stomach of Baryonyx, another carnivorous dinosaur related to Spinosaurus. “These dinosaurs exhibited a diverse diet and were generalists, but our findings indicate they were not the colossal bone-crushing predators like the T. rex,” Rowe noted, highlighting the significant anatomical differences between the two species.
Dominance in the Cretaceous Jungle
The Tyranosauroidea lineage, including the infamous T. rex, is characterized by rigid, akinetic skulls with limited joint mobility. Rowe emphasized that the skull of the T. rex was likely capable of enduring immense stress, which supported its strategy of high-risk, high-reward predation, contrasting sharply with other large carnivores. “Their jaw structure resembles that of massive crocodiles, complete with reinforced bones and powerful muscles that could crush bones,” he stated.
Rowe described the T. rex as a specialist predator, relying on ambush tactics to hunt large, agile prey. “We have fossil evidence supporting this claim,” he said, referencing a Hadrosaur specimen housed in the Museum of Natural History in New York. A T. rex tooth was embedded in the hadrosaur’s back, accompanied by evidence of healing around the tooth, suggesting that the T. rex had preyed upon it. “Despite its strong bite, the T. rex was not always successful in these hunts,” Rowe remarked.
Moreover, Rowe contended that any confrontation between T. rex and Spinosaurus would likely not mirror the portrayal seen in Jurassic Park III. “The T. rex was adapted for such fights, while the Spinosaurus was not,” he said.
Current Biology, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.06.051
