a plant-eating eusauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Niger.
Pronunciation: SPIEN-o-for-o-SOR-us
Meaning: Spine-bearing lizard
Author/s: Remes
et al. (
2009)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Agadez, Niger
Acta Ordinal: #693
Spinophorosaurus nigerensis
(Spike-bearing lizard from Niger)Etymology
Spinophorosaurus is derived from the Latin "spina" (spike), and the Greek "phoro" (to bear) and "sauros" (lizard). The name refers to the spike-bearing
osteoderms (bony plates, embedded in the skin) that were assumed to belong on the end of the tail. It has since been suggested that these "spikes" are collarbones instead.
The
species epithet,
nigerensis, combines "Niger" (the country in which it was discovered) and the Latin "-ensis" (from).
ZooBank registry:
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6469BEE5-EA95-4462-A4E5-4B3277411990.
Discovery
The first fossils of
Spinophorosaurus were discovered in the Irhazer II Formation (Irhazer Group) just north of the rural community of Aderbissinat, Thirozerine Department, Agadez Region, Republic of Niger, by Ulrich Joger in 2005, after tip-offs from Tuareg locals. Further remains were found during four expeditions between 2005 and 2008.
The
holotype, GCP-CV-4229 (Grupo Cultural Paleontológico de Elche) and NMB-1699-R (Naturhistorisches Museum Braunschweig), consists of a partial skull and a nearly complete skeleton, lacking the forearms, hands, breast plate and feet.
The paratype (NMB-1698-R) is a close-to-20% larger second specimen, which includes some skull bones, a complete set of ribs, and an upper arm, that the holotype lacks.
Spinophorosaurus was the first sauropod to be fully scanned and 3d printed.
• Joger U "
The Dino Project".
Google Arts & Culture.
• Joger U, Kosma R anf Krüger FJ (2009) "Projekt Dino: Die Entdeckungsgeschichte neuer Dinosaurier in Niger, Afrika".
Braunschweig: Cargo Verlag.
• Remes K, Ortega F, Fierro I, Joger U, Kosma R, Ferrer JMM, Amadou Ide O, Maga A (2009) "
A New Basal Sauropod Dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Niger and the Early Evolution of Sauropoda".
PLoS ONE, 4(9): e6924. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006924.
• Knoll F, Witmer LM, Ortega F, Ridgely RC and Daniela Schwarz-Wings D (2012) "
The Braincase of the Basal Sauropod Dinosaur Spinophorosaurus and 3D Reconstructions of the Cranial Endocast and Inner Ear".
PLoS ONE, 7(1): e30060. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030060.
• Vidal D, Aberasturi A, Mocho P, Ortega F and Sanz JL (2016) "Assembling a virtual Spinophorosaurus skeleton: what can it teach us about the evolution of eusauropods?".
VII Jornadas Internaciones sobre Paleontología de Dinosaurios y su Entorno. Salas de los Infantes, Burgos. pp. 147-148.
• Vidal D (2023) "
Virtual sauropods: A revolution in the study of long-necked dinosaurs".
Metode Science Studies Journal, 14: 75-89. DOI: 10.7203/metode.14.24689.
• Oaul GS (2016) "
The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs: Second Edition".
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To cite this page:
Atkinson, L.
"
SPINOPHOROSAURUS :: from DinoChecker's dinosaur archive".
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http://www.dinochecker.com/dinosaurs/SPINOPHOROSAURUS›. Web access: 06th Jun 2026.
