40-Foot ‘Hell Heron’ Dinosaur Discovered in Sahara, Reshaping View of Spinosaur Predators

Scientists have identified a massive new species of spinosaurid dinosaur that once roamed the region now known as the Sahara Desert, offering fresh insight into how these formidable predators lived and hunted nearly 95 million years ago.

The newly described species, Spinosaurus mirabilis, measured approximately 40 feet in length and is estimated to have weighed between five and seven tonnes. Fossils were uncovered at an inland site in Niger, hundreds of miles from what would have been ancient coastlines. The discovery challenges earlier assumptions that spinosaurids were primarily marine hunters operating close to seas.

Researchers say the dinosaur possessed a long, narrow snout lined with conical teeth designed to grip slippery prey. A distinctive blade-like crest rose from its skull, likely covered in keratin during its lifetime. These physical traits suggest that the predator was well adapted to catching fish in shallow freshwater environments, leading scientists to nickname it the “hell heron” for its resemblance in hunting style to modern wading birds.

Unlike earlier theories that portrayed spinosaurids as fully aquatic swimmers, the inland location of the fossils supports the idea that some species thrived in river systems and floodplains. Paleontologists believe S. mirabilis stalked shallow waters, ambushing fish and other aquatic creatures in environments that were once lush and teeming with life during the Cretaceous period.

The excavation forms part of ongoing research aimed at better understanding the diversity and ecological roles of spinosaurids, a group of theropod dinosaurs that included some of the largest carnivores to walk the Earth. Findings from the study add complexity to the evolutionary narrative of these predators and suggest they occupied a broader range of habitats than previously thought.