Spinosaurus

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Official Jurassic Park III Size Chart Artwork
Name meaning	"Spine/Spined/Spiny lizard/reptile"
Code name	"Spino" "Slice" "Asset 87"
Diet	Carnivore
Height	5-6 meters (16-20 feet) (Jurassic Park III)
Length	13.38 meters (43.8 feet) (Jurassic Park III) 14 meters (45.9 feet) (real life)
Weight	8 tons (16,000 lbs) (Jurassic Park III) 10 tons (20,000 lbs)(Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous) 7-8 tons (15,432-17,637 lbs) ("real life")
Location	North Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Niger, and Nigeria), swamps and oceans.
Range	Isla Sorna (Movie and Adventures Canon) Mantah Corp Island
Time	Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian to Turonian), 99-93.5 Ma
Birth type	Egg
Movie appearances	Jurassic Park III Jurassic World (Skeleton only) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Cut) Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Jurassic World: Dominion (cut)
Novel appearances	Jurassic Park (Chinese edition, cover only) Jurassic Park III
Game appearances	See here
Toy appearances	See here
Comic appearances	Jurassic Park: Redemption I (cover only)
Adventures appearances	Jurassic Park Adventures: Flyers
Theme park appearances	Islands of Adventure Universal Studios (Statue)

"Spinosaurus aegyptiacus."
"I don't remember that on InGen's List."

—Alan Grant and Billy Brennan^(src)

Spinosaurus (meaning "spined lizard") is an extinct genus of spinosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed in what is now North Africa during the Cretaceous period. Spinosaurus is argued to be the longest of all known carnivorous dinosaurs, even longer than Carcharodontosaurus, Giganotosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus rex. It is also the largest species of spinosaurid, with the largest specimen, MSMN V4047 reaching 14 meters (46 feet) in length, although classification of MSMN V4047 remains highly debated in the scientific community. Its smaller relatives include Suchomimus, Baryonyx, Irritator, Ichthyovenator, and a newly discovered species called Iberospinus. Estimates of the animal's size have ranged from 59 feet (18 meters) and 9.9 tons (19,800 pounds) in 2005 by Del Sasso et al. to a 2022 estimate of 46 feet (14 meters) and 8.2 tons (16,400 pounds) by Paul Sereno et al.

Its most distinctive feature was the huge sail on its back. This sail was comprised of spines that extended from the top of the backbones of all dinosaurs and vertebrates. The spines of Spinosaurus were tremendous, the longest one found measured over 1.7 meters (5 feet) tall. The sail might have been used to attract a mate, making it look bigger to other predators it shares with, or speculatively act as a dorsal fin as it moves through the water.

Similar to its relatives within the spinosauridae, it had large, powerful arms and enormous, hook like claws for grabbing prey, much like modern bears do today.

Discovered by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer in 1912, the first Spinosaurus fossils were kept in the building that housed the Bavarian State Collection of Paleontology. Unfortunately, on April 24/25 in 1944, the fossils, along with the original specimen of Carcharodontosaurus and most of Stromer's other collection of fossils, were destroyed during a British bombing raid in World War II, when Allied Forces attacked Berlin, Germany. The museum was an unfortunate casualty of the raid, as it was right across the street from the Nazi Party's headquarters (the intended target), and the museum's curator had refused to move the fossils to a safer location. New fossils of both dinosaurs would not be uncovered again until roughly 68 years later, though drawings and photos of the Spinosaurus specimens recovered by Stromer remained intact.

In 2014 and 2019, the nature of Spinosaurus was rendered even stranger when it was discovered by paleontologists Nizar Ibrahim and Paul Sereno to have possessed short hind legs, webbed feet, and a long, paddle-like tail similar to a newt or crocodile's and that the sail was probably more rectangular. These new discoveries suggested that Spinosaurus was better adapted to life in water than previously assumed, rendering its physical appearance in the Jurassic Park franchise outdated. Studies of the sub-adult specimen Sereno and Ibrahim recovered from their 2014 and 2019 expeditions to Morocco further suggested Spinosaurus preferred to hunt in shallow water. There is also some evidence that Oxalaia, a spinosaur from Brazil, is the same animal as Spinosaurus. If true, this suggests Spinosaurus was present in Africa and South America during the Cretaceous period.

In addition, according to the study of Spinosaurus, the way of walking may often be carried out with four limbs. At the same time, due to the structure of the upper and lower jaws and the shape of the teeth of Spinosaurus, the bite force of Spinosaurus is relatively small among carnivorous dinosaurs.

In 2021, the research concluded by Dr. David Hone and Dr. Thomas Holtz, Jr. suggested that the degree of aquatic attributions suggested earlier are not consistent; although Spinosaurus presumably had more terrestrial generalist, wading lifestyle similar to modern avians such as herons, skuas, petrels, and storks.

However, this theory by Hone and Holtz was later outdated by a more recent research. In 2022 when analysis of the bone densities of Spinosaurus, Baryonyx, and Suchomimus showed that both Spinosaurus and Baryonyx were shown to have dense bones and would have been able to dive deep underwater, while Suchomimus would have been more suited to wading in shallow water. This same diving ability is showcased by the Spinosaurus in the Jurassic Park franchise (specifically Jurassic Park III), and therefore can be considered accurate to the real animal's behavior. Spinosaurus has always been depicted with overly large, muscular forelimbs, even for the time, ending in paw-like hands.

Although there is a more recent paleontology research and publication; once again; cast doubt in the overall swimming and diving abilities of Spinosaurus. This research; in agreement with Henderson's, Hone and Holtz's earlier researches conclusions, arguing that it was far too buoyant to dive, extremely ineffective as a swimmer and generally far too unsuitable for aquatic life; also adding the fact that there are several instances of recorded Spinosaurus fossils that have been extracted from inland Africa, far away from any known delta, sea or ocean in the Late Cretaceous.

Characteristics

Different in appearance compared to its prehistoric forebearer, the Spinosaurus clone appears in its 1990s design. The body color of the Spinosaurus was a mixture of dark and light gray, a yellowed underbelly, and red splotches around its face, across its back, and at the end of its tail. The sail had blue circles, possibly for attracting the opposite sex. Like all of InGen's cloned theropods, it had pronated wrists. The cloned Spinosaurus had strong jaws, powerful forearms, immense strength, a thick hide, and a more terrestrial lifestyle with a shorter sail. The skull also had several differences from the original, such as being slightly broader and bearing two head crests on each side of the snout instead of just one crest in the middle of the snout. Most of its snout and its teeth resembled Baryonyx with an estimated 76 teeth in the dinosaur's palate. It also lacks the paddle-like tail, a trait seen in its predecessor. It has tall hind legs like all theropods instead of short hind legs. This Spinosaurus is a male.

Behavioral

Spinosaurus exhibits aggressive behavior, which may be influenced by human presence. It is possible that humans provoke the Spinosaurus to vocalize in order to defend its territory, rather than seeking to prey on them. In one instance, when attacked by a human with a gun, the Spinosaurus retaliated by chasing and killing the attacker. This incident likely heightened its aggression, particularly when injured or feeling threatened by other stimuli, such as a jet. Consequently, it actively searched for humans and directed its aggression towards them, driven by a desire for revenge and sustenance.

Furthermore, the Spinosaurus has demonstrated its formidable nature by successfully engaging in combat with a fully grown Tyrannosaurus, ultimately overpowering and killing it. This predator is highly adaptable, capable of hunting both on land and in water, which further contributes to its prowess as a hunter.

Based on Erick's observations, it has been noted that the Spinosaurus exhibits audacious behavior by venturing into the territory of Tyrannosaurus rexes. This bold behavior is thought to be influenced by Erick's use of Tyrannosaurus urine as a deterrent for other carnivorous dinosaurs, particularly compys, from approaching his van. However, it is possible that the scent of the Tyrannosaurus urine may actually attract the Spinosaurus instead.

In Camp Cretaceous Season 4, the Spinosaurus experiences a significant change in its habitat as it is relocated from Isla Sorna to Mantah Corp Island's Desert Biome, designated as Asset 87. Despite being a semi-aquatic dinosaur with a preference for tropical forests, the Spinosaurus gradually adapts to the extreme heat and arid conditions of its new surroundings. This adaptation is showcased through observable behavioral changes.

The Spinosaurus exhibits an increase in aggressiveness towards the campers, displaying a heightened predatory nature. It actively seeks out opportunities to engage with potential prey, demonstrating its hunting skills by successfully taking down a Smilodon. This change in behavior can be attributed to the new environment's demands, where resources may be scarce, and the Spinosaurus must assert its dominance to secure food and territory.

In Season 5, the Spinosaurus becomes the subject of experimentation with Mantah Corp's mind control technology, developed by Kash. As a result, the Spinosaurus is subjected to external manipulation, causing a shift in its behavioral patterns. Under the control of Hawke, the Spinosaurus is forced to act aggressively towards the campers, becoming a formidable threat.

During this period, the Spinosaurus engages in frequent confrontations with Big Eatie and Little Eatie, two Tyrannosaurus rexes. These encounters highlight the response of Spinosaurus response to stimuli and its ability to engage in territorial disputes. The Spinosaurus inflicts severe injuries upon Big Eatie, showcasing its physical strength and hunting prowess.

However, a significant turning point occurs when Big Eatie, having recovered from its injuries, charges at the Spinosaurus. This unexpected attack inadvertently disrupts the mind control, freeing the Spinosaurus from Hawke's influence. In this moment, the Spinosaurus displays an adaptive response by recognizing the change in circumstances and adjusting its behavior accordingly.

In a subsequent encounter, the Spinosaurus faces a rematch against Big Eatie, with Little Eatie providing support after eliminating Hawkes. Here, the Spinosaurus exhibits a shift in behavior, demonstrating a heightened sense of self-preservation. Recognizing the overwhelming challenge posed by two enraged Tyrannosaurus rexes, the Spinosaurus chooses to retreat, displaying a rational decision-making process based on the assessment of its own capabilities.

Physical Attributes

The Spinosaurus reveals itself as a formidable predator, demonstrating prowess in engaging in combat both with an adult Tyrannosaurus, such as Bull and Big Eatie. However, when confronted with a pair of Tyrannosaurus rex simultaneously, it has a tendency to retreat. In these bouts of confrontation, the Spinosaurus has impressively showcased its robustness by withstanding formidable attacks to its neck inflicted by a formidable Tyrannosaurus Bull. The Spinosaurus uses its powerful talons to firmly grasp the neck of the Bull, as a display of its imposing prowess. Swiftly launching its final assault with a calculated move, the Spinosaurus delivers a fatal blow by wrenching its opponent's neck with the sheer power of its powerful jaws, amplifying the impact with the firm hold of its arm appendages. The subadult T. rex meets an unfortunate end as a result of the unyielding downward pressure applied by the Spinosaurus' powerful cranial structure and the firm grip of its claws. The Spinosaurus has also proven to be an impressively resilient opponent when pitted against the formidable foe known as Big Eatie, even in situations where it was subjected to cognitive manipulation through the implantation of a microchip within its cranium. Despite the fact that it has been more than twenty years since it first appeared, the enduring Spinosaurus asserts its immense power through a forceful act in which it yanks down the tail of Big Eatie with its powerful jaws, causing Big Eatie to fall to the ground. Big Eatie is thrust into a collision with two tall trees in a matter of seconds by the tenacious Spinosaurus forceful bite on her neck. The relentless grip of the creature's jaws around her neck exerts such force that its teeth penetrate her flesh, inflicting a devastating bite that brings her perilously close to death, rendering her unconscious within moments. It is worth acknowledging that the behavior of the Spinosaurus was driven by an implanted mind chip, given that it had sustained injuries rendering it  incapable of fleeing.

History

Creation

Shortly after the acquisition of InGen by Masrani Global Corporation and after the passing of the Gene Guard Act, in 1999, several unnamed InGen scientists were sent to Isla Sorna to clone several dinosaurs in secret for genetic experiments and amalgam testing. Spinosaurus was one of the few dinosaurs cloned in the Embryonics Administration lab, alongside Ankylosaurus, Ceratosaurus, and Corythosaurus, sometime after 1997. As such, and being far after the Isla Nublar Incident, it was not a dinosaur on InGen's List and was not planned to be an attraction in Jurassic Park. It, along with the other new species, was later released to the ecosystem and every trace of its creation was covered up. It is not known if the company had its DNA before, as it did not appear on InGen's list previously.

In the wild

After being cloned and experimented on for 9 months in 1999, the unnamed InGen personnel set the dinosaur free alongside the other illegally bred dinosaurs. It was the largest carnivorous dinosaur on Isla Sorna, being 6 meters (19.7 feet) tall (including the sail), 13.4 meters (43.8 feet) long and weighing 8 tons (16,000 pounds) in 2001.

Being created illegally and without the knowledge of InGen or Masrani higher-ups, it is unknown if the Spinosaurus and the other new dinosaurs were affected by or were even bred to include the lysine deficiency that affected the original dinosaurs.

There is only one individual known to have lived on the island. He took residence in the jungles of the northeast and became the apex predator of the region. The Spinosaurus was extremely territorial and seemed to have a biological interest in taking down its competitor, the Tyrannosaurus rex, the previously dominant apex predator on the island.

Rescue of Eric Kirby

During his time lost on Isla Sorna Eric Kirby learned that though Tyrannosaurus rex urine can scare off small dinosaurs like Compsognathus, it can also attract Spinosaurus, which reinforces the territoriality of Spinosaurus in relation to Tyrannosaurus.

Amanda Kirby, Eric's mother, apparently attracted a Spinosaurus that would follow her and her group throughout the incident by shouting her missing son's name through a megaphone. Cooper, one of the mercenaries hired by the Kirby family, spotted the large dinosaur and began to fire his rifle at him as his fellow mercenaries, Udesky and M.B. Nash, fled the area. The attack failed to stop the Spinosaurus and the dinosaur injured its attacker's arm. This caused Cooper's group to desperately attempt to leave the island in their plane.

The Spinosaurus near the Isla Sorna Aviary Observatory, staring at its human prey.

Cooper ran in front of the plane as it taxied down the airstrip, and tried to convince Nash to stop the plane. The Spinosaurus quickly emerged to the right of the wounded mercenary and proceeded to devour him just as the plane prepared to lift off. The airplane collided with the Spinosaurus's flank just seconds after it takes the life of its first victim. The collision dealt nothing more than a minor injury to the large theropod, though the plane crashed into a tree in the surrounding jungle.

The Spinosaurus soon quickly found the rest of Cooper's group inside the damaged airplane, removed the cockpit and grabbed Nash's leg with its strong jaws. Nash desperately fought against the Spinosaurus grip by grabbing Amanda Kirby's legs but despite his and Udesky's efforts, he was swiftly pulled out of the plane and killed as he tried to crawl away. The Spinosaurus gave out a loud roar that shook the plane violently until it fell out of the tree and onto the ground below. With the passengers now under its feet, the Spinosaurus continued his rampage. The Spinosaurus then proceeded to roll the already damaged airplane towards itself, flatten it with its foot and rammed its head into the remaining portion, searching for the humans inside.

Dr. Alan Grant and his team fled from the wreckage the Spinosaurus was scavenging, hoping it would lose sight of them. The Spinosaurus was quick to follow and began to chase them throughout the jungle only to be stopped by a patch of trees that temporarily blocked it from continuing its pursuit. The Spinosaurus managed to make its way around the blockage and met up with its prey soon afterward fleeing from the Tyrannosaurus.

A conflict ensued as soon as the Spinosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus rex saw one another. The Tyrannosaurus was the first to strike, he clamped down on the Spinosaurus' neck using his strong jaws, pinning it to the ground. Nonetheless, the Spinosaurus briskly got back on his feet and broke free of the Tyrannosaurus grip, taking the chance to try and bite its opponent's flanks, with the T. rex doing the same as well. The T. rex then decided to charge headfirst into the Spinosaurus, pushing it forward, though this left him vulnerable to its next strike. The Spinosaurus bit down on the Tyrannosaurus neck, proceeded to grab it with its powerful forearms and snapped it, killing the Tyrannosaurus rex.

The Spinosaurus roared triumphantly as he claimed the carcass of its recent kill. The battle allowed the human visitors to finally escape from the vicious Spinosaurus, but they would encounter the giant theropod several times throughout the incident.

The Spinosaurus after it killed the Tyrannosaurus rex.

When the Spinosaurus consumed the mercenaries, their clothes and gear were undigested. The most notable of the objects was Paul Kirby's satellite phone that he gave to Nash that would ring inside its stomach. Eric Kirby, who had just met Alan Grant, heard this ringing of his father's satellite phone and assumed his family was in the area. Though he and Dr. Alan Grant did indeed reunite with his family on the opposite sides of the Isla Sorna Aviary observatory's large perimeter fence, they all were soon aware of the Spinosaurus's presence behind them after they realized that Paul lacked his phone.

As soon as the recently reunited group saw the Spinosaurus it began to chase Eric and Alan, but the two reached the other side of the fence by crawling through a hole that was in it. For a brief moment, the predator seemed to have been detoured, unable to get past the fence, until the Spinosaurus smashed through the perimeter fence. With their only means of defense against the Spinosaurus penetrated, Dr. Alan Grant, the Kirby family, and his colleague Billy Brennan fled towards the Isla Sorna Field Lab. Once inside, Paul Kirby and Alan Grant barricaded the doors right before the Spinosaurus could get inside. Unlike the fence that surrounded the laboratory, the doors successfully prevented the Spinosaurus from penetrating them. Uninterested, the dinosaur soon left.

The group later reacquired the satellite phone from scavenging through the Spinosaurus poop that contained the remains of Nash and Cooper. The smell of the large predator's dung discouraged a Ceratosaurus from potentially attacking them.

The Spinosaurus made one last attempt at killing the humans before the incident ended by stalking their boat they used to escape from the Isla Sorna Aviary from its inhabitants during a thunderstorm that began at night. It swam silently, hidden beneath the deep waters of the river that were rising as the rain from the storm fell, the only indication of its presence being the native Bonitos swimming away in fear of it and the tip of its sail emerging from the water. The Spinosaurus began its attack by ramming into the back of the boat, emerged from the water, and proceeded to severely damage the boat's center console and the fuel tank, causing it to leak rapidly.

Spinosaurus attacked one last time emerging from the river water.

The Kirby family and Alan Grant locked themselves in a large cage on the watercraft for protection from the rampage of the Spinosaurus. However, their attempt was rendered futile when the Spinosaurus pulled the cage into the water, nearly drowning the people inside as it became submerged. While the Spinosaurus thrashed in the water searching for them, the entrapment landed on some rocks, allowing the top portion of the enclosure to surface and giving the trapped humans the oxygen they needed, though the dinosaur quickly used this to its advantage. It put its arm in the cage and grabbed Amanda Kirby, preparing to kill her. Her husband, Paul, who swam out of the cage once it submerged, successfully distracted the predator by shouting from a half-submerged crane he had just climbed. This, in turn, allowed the others to escape the cage.

With Paul Kirby gaining its full attention, the Spinosaurus responded to his calls by giving the crane two nudges with its head, causing Paul Kirby to almost fall into the raging river below, dangling with nothing else to hold on to. Afterward, Dr. Alan Grant found the boat's flare gun in the riverbed near the entrapment and shot the Spinosaurus with it. The flare did nothing of harm to its target but once it fell into the water it ignited the petroleum that had leaked out of the boat and into the river. Afraid of the fire surrounding it, the Spinosaurus fled the area as the crane collapsed around it, ending its involvement in the Isla Sorna Incident of 2001.

Jurassic World

The Dinosaur Protection Group later found that the existence of the Spinosaurus, along with the Ankylosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Corythosaurus, was buried by corrupt officials because it was not on InGen's development list.

A Spinosaurus skeleton reconstruction was mounted in Main Street of Jurassic World. The middle of it was smashed through by the Tyrannosaurus of Isla Nublar during the Jurassic World Incident (leaving the tail and everything else above the torso intact). It is also one of the dinosaurs included on the holoscape of the Innovation Center, although the Spinosaurus was not an attraction in the Jurassic World, not even being on Isla Nublar.

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous

"Staying Alive"

The Spinosaurus meets the campers.

The same Spinosaurus from the the Isla Sorna incident was relocated to Mantah Corp Island on Daniel Kon's orders and designated "Asset 87" by Kash D. Langford, intended for usage in fighting rings. At this time, it was 17 years old and recorded at over 10 tons (20,000 pounds). Kash released the dinosaur into the island's desert biodome, in order to test how long it could survive there.

As it roamed its new environment, it encountered and chased Kenji, Brooklynn, Yasmina, Sammy, and Ben. As the campers run, they retreat into the rocky cliffs where the Spinosaurus couldn't reach them. However, the campers' situation was made worse when the Smilodon chased them in the caverns to a dead end. However, before the saber-toothed tiger could finish the job, the Spinosaurus burst from the wall behind the campers and killed the big cat, clamping it in its jaws and dragging it away. Thus, unintentionally saved the campers. The theropod then tried to kill the campers, who narrowly escaped the theropod's grasp. The Spinosaurus was placed in the desert biome at the behest of Kash to see how long it would last in the high heat of the environment.

The Spinosaurus chases Darius into a canyon.

"Technical Difficulties"

Later that day, Darius was ordered to chip the Spinosaurus in an attempt to control it. While Darius caught the animal sleeping, it woke up at the scent of Darius. Both the Spinosaurus and the BRAD-X watching over the kid began chasing Darius down back into the ravines. Darius ducked into a narrow opening, which the theropod couldn't fit through as the BRAD-X tried to fire a bolt of lightning at Darius, who ducked and caused the bolt to hit the Spinosaurus. Darius used the distraction to run past the Spinosaurus, which then grabbed the BRAD-X and smashed it to the ground The Spinosaurus continued its chase towards Darius, who found an old BRAD head, which he managed to pry open the mouth of and release its tranquilizing gas before throwing it at the Spinosaurus. Still enraged, the Spino ran out of the gas, although it inevitably succumbed to the gas and finally fell asleep. Just before Darius could chip the sleeping animal, Brooklynn was able to hack the BRAD-X and tell Darius he didn't have to do it and that she was now controlling the BRAD-X.

"Dino-Sitting"

Later, it was noted that DNA from the Spinosaurus was extracted and combined with DNA of the Sinoceratops to create a new hybrid.

"Who's The Boss?"

The Spinosaurus about to attack the campers and the hybrids.

Brooklynn, Yasmina, and Sammy entered the desert biome to check it was the ideal habitat for the Spinoceratops siblings. The Spinosaurus briefly appeared and attacked them along with the juvenile hybrids. However, the campers and the hybrids would escape back into the building.

Season 5

The Spinosaurus later falls under Daniel Kon's mind control, chasing the campers alongside three other dinosaurs. During the last stand of the campers and the free dinosaurs, the giant carnivore battles Little Eatie before Daniel sends it and the others after the T. rex at the same time. Big Eatie saves her daughter, (presumably) killing Limbo, but she is then grabbed by her tail and yanked to the ground by the Spinosaurus, though she manages to kick it in the face and stand up to fight it face to face, though she ends up badly overwhelmed, ending with the larger theropod seemingly snapping her neck and leaving her mortally wounded.

The Spinosaurus, under Hawkes' control, abandoned Big Eatie and continues to chase the campers, cornering and nearly eating Darius before Kenji steps in. Although Daniel agrees to spare Darius in exchange for his computer password, he tries to have it eat Darius anyways. Darius is saved by Big Eatie, who had survived the earlier fight. Big Eatie destroys Hawkes' controller, freeing the Spinosaurus, and then rams into the larger theropod, knocking him over, though before the Spinosaurus can attack, Little Eatie shows up and rather than fight the two of them at once, the Spinosaurus retreats.

Later history

By 2018, Spinosaurus were subject to cruelty, but it is unknown if there were any surviving populations. Colin Trevorrow said that the Spinosaurus "doesn't make it out of Camp Cretaceous", implying it was killed by Big and Little Eatie after they chased it off, hence the Spinosaurus's absence from Jurassic World: Dominion. However, Scott Kreamer has said in an interview with YouTuber Swrve that the Spinosaurus still resides on Mantah Corp Island and is not deceased in the year 2018. The Podcast was, however, made back in 2021, and Colin's information could most likely have become outdated.

Jurassic World: Dominion

In Alan Grant's tent of his dig site in Utah, a small replica of a Spinosaurus skeleton was seen, which may have served as a reminder to him of the 2001 incident as to why he should never get involved with dinosaurs again.

A podcast for Jurassic World: Dominion mentioned that the Spinosaurus was considered to appear in Jurassic World: Dominion, and it would’ve helped Rexy to fight the Giganotosaurus, this was removed and replaced with an ending where Buck and Doe would’ve helped Rexy, and this would also be replaced by the Therizinosaurus.

It is likely that the Spinosaurus resided on Mantah Corp Island during the events of Jurassic World: Dominion and is also currently living there.

Appearances

In chronological order:

• Jurassic Park III
• Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
  • Staying Alive
  • Technical Difficulties
  • Who's the Boss?
  • Battle Lines
  • The Last Stand
  • The Nublar Six

Gallery

Images

Promotional Images

Jurassic Park RPG book page

Official Jurassic Park III Size Chart Render

Camp Cretaceous Render

Jurassic Park III

Jurassic World

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous

Spinosaurus roaring at the Campers

Spinosaurus sleeping

Toro, Limbo and The Spinosaurus under Mantah Corp's control

Jurassic World: Dominion

Novels

Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, Chinese edition cover

Jurassic Park III: The novel

Vocalizations

Trivia

• The image of the Spinosaurus seen in the first chapter of Jurassic Park Adventures: Flyers was reused from the Dinopedia of the Jurassic Park Institute website.
• One fan theory was that the Spinosaurus skeleton mounted in Main Street belonged to the Spinosaurus from Jurassic Park III. However, this theory was unlikely because the Spinosaurus fossil had the nose comb that real Spinosaurus' had whereas the individual from Jurassic Park III did not have the same comb and the teeth of the mount was straighter than the one seen on Isla Sorna. This theory was finally confirmed to be untrue when the same individual from Jurassic Park III was brought back in the fourth season of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which takes place in the timeline in 2016.
• The Spinosaurus made its return in the fourth season of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, making it the first time it canonically appeared since Jurassic Park III 20 years ago. The executive producer of the show stated it was the same individual from the third film in an interview with Collider. It served as a supporting antagonist of Seasons 4 and 5. Prior to that, it was the main antagonist of Jurassic Park III.
• In Jurassic Park III, the Spinosaurus gender is male by Alan Grant after he and the rest of the group escape the plane crash. Alan Grant says in relief, "I think we lost him." The gender is also mentioned in the 8th episode of the fourth season of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous titled "Technical Difficulties". Kash mentions that the Spinosaurus is male in one of his quotes, "if you're lucky you can catch him while he's sleeping."
• The Spinosaurus was the first male dinosaur main antagonist. The two other males who are the main antagonist are Toro, Indoraptor and possibly the Giganotosaurus.
• However, he isn't the first male dinosaur who appeared in the Jurassic Park franchise, as the Tyrannosaur Buck, the baby T. rex Junior, Isla Sorna's Velociraptors and Elvis the Parasaurolophus were introduced before him. However, none of them have the role of the main antagonist, unlike the Spinosaurus.
• A common fan theory for years was that the Spinosaurus was an early attempt at a hybrid dinosaur as a predecessor to the Indominus rex, however, episode 4 of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous season 3 confirmed that the Scorpios rex was in fact Dr. Wu's first attempt at hybridizing dinosaurs. The show's executive producer confirmed this in interviews with Jurassic Outpost and Syfy Wire, as well as canon consultant Jack Ewins on his YouTube channel.
  • However, it should be noted that even though it wasn't meant to be the predecessor to Indominus rex in-universe, it still serves as such in a meta-level, as both share several similarities:
    • Both were bigger and stronger than a T. rex.
    • The scrapped ending of Jurassic Park III where the Spinosaurus would have been killed by a pack of Isla Sorna's Velociraptors could be reincarnated with Blue's part at defeating Indominus rex.
    • Both survived the crash of a flying vehicle (an airplane for the Spinosaurus and Masrani's helicopter for the Indominus rex).
    • Both were shown to survive live ammo (The Spinosaurus was shot by mercenaries and the Indominus rex took a hit from a rocket launcher).
    • Both are often considered to be the strongest dinosaurs in the franchise.
• The profile of the animal posted on the DreamWorks Twitter account used a summarized version of the profile on the Jurassic World Intel website, including the semi-aquatic nature, feeding habits, and size.
• The Spinosaurus in Jurassic Park III is heavily suggested to be the same Spinosaurus in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous season 4 and 5. In a June 2022 interview with Collider, Colin Trevorrow explained that he did not believe they were the same individual because they "sound different," adding that he "found it to be a slightly different animal, like on sight and on sound." He went on to say that didn't have authority on everything and didn't want to "mess it up" for the creative team of Camp Cretaceous. He finished by saying, "it's kind of what you want to believe."
• The Spinosaurus in the Jurassic Park franchise has an inaccurately shaped skull. As no good skull material beyond jaw fragments was known for Spinosaurus at the time of the film's production, its skull was reconstructed based on that of Suchomimus. It would not be until 2005 that better skull material (a partial snout) was discovered, showcasing how much more specialized a piscivore Spinosaurus was at the time of the find but even more recent finds have found that all spinosaurids might have acted more like the Baryonyx in the franchise being a generalist.
• Executive producer Scott Kreamer stated in a November 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly that the Spinosaurus was the "largest carnivore land animal," while also stating there was a "good chance" that it was the same individual from Jurassic Park III. This was later contradicted by Jurassic World: Dominion, Colin Trevorrow, and Sam Neill. In Jurassic World Dominion, it is said by Kayla that the Giganotosaurus is the "largest known terrestrial carnivore," and later on, Alan Grant says "biggest carnivore the world has ever seen." Sam Neill had stated a year prior to Scott's statement that the Giganotosaurus was the "biggest dinosaur ever discovered"; then, in June 2021, Colin Trevorrow reiterated Neill's statement by saying "the largest carnivore known to humankind". In episode 10 of season 5 of Camp Cretaceous, while luring Mr. Kon's henchmen to the animal's lair, Darius stated it was the "biggest carnivorous dinosaur that ever lived" which is notable, considering Darius had already seen Rexy, the Indominus rex, Big Eatie and Little Eatie.
• Since Spinosaurus had a smaller bite force among carnivorous dinosaurs, and the fact that its hands were not sure whether it could hold a creature the size of a Tyrannosaurus, it was unlikely that Spinosaurus would have defeated a Tyrannosaurus as shown in the film.
• The Spinosaurus’ first victory over Big Eatie is a reference to Jurassic Park 3, where it won against a T. rex by seemingly breaking its neck. Its later retreat from Big Eatie and Little Eatie was likely for fans to have revenge over that controversial movie victory, since retreat is defeat.
• In a June 2022 interview with Collider, Colin Trevorrow was asked what he thought the most powerful of the bigger dinosaurs was. He explained that the "story has told us the Spinosaurus is probably the most powerful" due to it being the "T. rex killer" (a callback to the third film's production description of the animal). Additionally, the Giganotosaurus was described as being able to "best the T. rex in multiple periods, multiple eras." To conclude his answer, he described all three large carnivores as being the "apex predator of their era and of their area."
• DreamWorks Visual Development Artist Christopher Sears posted artwork of the Spinosaurus model he began sculpting for Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, initially noting that he measured the model at 15.37 meters (50.42 feet) in length and 6.61 meters (21.69 feet) in height at the sail, while clarifying that he did not know if the final animated asset reflected this preliminary size. In a reply to a comment in that post, he explained that his model was a "starting point" for the finished product, and nothing he says could be considered "official" or "canon" because he is just a "small part of a big production team." After it was pointed out that part of the tail was cut off, he posted the file with the fixed tail, claiming he didn't know how much that altered the length of the asset, allowing fans to figure it out on their own.
• It's unknown if the Spinosaurus and the other dinosaurs on Mantah Corp Island were meant to be transferred to Biosyn Sanctuary as Lewis Dodgson was aware of the island's existence. Originally, however, this was meant to be the case, as the Spinosaurus and Toro were going to be in Jurassic World: Dominion. This would've meant that Dodgson was planning to have them relocated to the valley.
• The Spinosaurus appears on the Chinese cover for Michael Crichton’s original novel, this cover was made in 2005. Although because the novel came out years before the release of Jurassic Park III, the Spinosaurus does not appear in any form or way.
• The Spinosaurus was the youngest main antagonist in the original Jurassic Park trilogy, being only 2 years old in Jurassic Park III; subsequently, he was 17 in Camp Cretaceous, 19 in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as he was confirmed to be alive in 2018 and he would be 23 in Jurassic World: Dominion, if he appeared in the film.
• Adding to this, he is the only main antagonist who doesn't get killed off in his debut film, crowning him as the longest lasting main antagonist.
• During pre-production of the third film, there was going to be two spinosaurs. One was a baby who would be shot and killed by the mercenaries in the beginning of the film. This would then anger the adult mother Spinosaurus and cause her to seek revenge. Ricardo Delgado referred to Spinosaurus as "mother" when talking about the script concept.
• The reason why the Spinosaurus looks so inaccurate in the Jurassic Park Franchise is possibly because of the animal's appearance constantly changing in paleontology. During the film's release, there wasn't alot of Spinosaurus bones discovered. So it's look was most likely considered accurate at the time.
• In the Junior novelization, a novel that describes the expansion of the movie, the gender of Spinosaurus is female, different from the movie. It is unknown why this is, a possible reason why this is the case, could be that the novel differs from the movie.

Behind the scenes

Prelimeinary Jurassic Park Logo featuring Baryonyx in the place of Spinosaurus

As the story was being created for Jurassic Park III, the filmmakers wanted another dinosaur to replace Tyrannosaurus from the previous two films and they went through many candidates in their search for a replacement. Originally the smaller Baryonyx was supposed to be the main dinosaur antagonist of Jurassic Park III, but Paleontologist Jack Horner suggested Spinosaurus to the filmmakers as a candidate to replace T. rex and according to Joey Orosco a Spinosaur skull was discovered during the pre-production of the film, which inspired the filmmakers to use the larger Spinosaurus that was a relative of Baryonyx. Orosco described the finding as being similar to how the scientific description of Utahraptor was released during the making of the first film Jurassic Park, Before it was scrapped, a storyboard and a version of the logo for the film was made featuring Baryonyx. possibly skull material scientifically described in 1998 that was assigned to the dubious species Spinosaurus maroccanus. According to Ricardo Delgado, who served as a concept artist for Jurassic Park III in early 2000, several members of the Jurassic Park III art department still referred to the Spinosaurus as Baryonyx. Approxmentally 30 people worked on developing the Spinosaurus as a whole.

• Spinosaurus color scheme concept art by Ricardo F. Delgado.
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Concept art of the Spinosaurus was created by Mark "Crash" McCreery who had previously done conceptual artwork for the previous two films. What is said to be the final concept art created by McCreery had several differences from the design seen on screen. These include the front snout resembling Suchomimus rather than the actual Spinosaurus as well as a smaller and seeming singular crest and seems to have a taller sail. Though concept art is known to exist of a Spino with the upper front of the snout that looked like its real-life counterpart. Years after the film was released, McCreery considered the crocodile-headed dinosaur to be one of his favorite dinosaurs to design for the first three films due to its unique appearance and it being larger than Tyrannosaurus as well as how it was a challenge to make the animal look real rather than like a monster.

In designing the coloration of the Spinosaurus, Stan Winston Studio aimed for a "venomous flavor" that was seen in animals like the coral snake. Several designs of various color schemes of Spinosaurus were created by Ricardo Delgado, but the final color scheme of the dinosaur came from sketches by Mark "Crash" McCreery that Joey Orosco drew over using colored pencils. Orosco was responsible for devising the red in its color scheme that the Spinosaurus bears in the third film with the aim of giving it a bold look that was shared with the other dinosaurs designed for the film. With a design chosen, Orosco, John Rosengrant, Trevor Hensley, Rob Ramsdell, and Paul Mejias created a 1/5 scale maquette that was later scanned in a computer where it was then used to create the mold of the Spinosaur animatronic via rapid prototyping. Orosco also supervised the construction of the life-sized sculpture. For a reference for video games, advertising, and other merchandise for Jurassic Park III, a 1/16 scale maquette was also sculpted by Joey Orosco and Scott Stoddard with Mark Maitre painting the miniature.

Concept art by Mark "Crash" McCreery.

The animatronic of the Spinosaurus was made to be faster, more durable, and more water-resistant than the previous Tyrannosaurus animatronics built for the previous films. This animatronic was designed like that of the adult Tyrannosaurus animatronics for the previous film The Lost World: Jurassic Park in that the Spinosaurus was not full-sized—the length of the Spinosaur being only to the base of its tail—and was mounted on a motorized cart that ran on tracks. The animatronic Spinosaur built for Jurassic Park III was very powerful, running on 1,000 horsepower, higher than the 200 horsepower that the T. rex animatronics possessed. The animatronic utilized state of the art "hot-rod" hydruallics with some of the hydraulic hoses of the animatronic even being NASA approved. The hydraulic hoses were estimated to be 2,200 ft (671 meters) long and it contained 42 hydraulic cylinders. Overall, nearly all of its mechanical systems were hydraulic. It also had more sturdiness than the Tyrannosaur animatronics due to the Spinosaur being constructed solid-state. To make the animatronic waterproof, a silicone-based product was used in waterproofing camping supplies was painted onto its foam rubber skin. In addition, the skin of the head was made of hard rubber, which was more durable and water-resistant than foam, and its eyes were controlled hydraulically as opposed to electronically. Because the Spinosaurus would be taking a lot of abuse during filming that could cause its teeth to potentially break, Stan Winston Studio made additional copies of the estimated seventy-six teeth in its palate. The robotic Spino was controlled by telemetry devices and eight puppeteers controlled its movements, each controlling portions of its body. These portions were the basic head/body, tongue slide levers, eye joystick control, the front arms, the cart/body, breathing potentiometer, the tail, and the body raise slider. On a minor note, the design of the eyes of the Spinosaurus of Jurassic Park III was based on that of a crocodile.

In conclusion, the Spinosaurus animatronic created for Jurassic Park III was the largest, heaviest, and fastest animatronic that Stan Winston Studio had ever made. It was so large that it was unable to get through the door of the studio. The only way that it could be transported was by removing a wall of their building to allow the door to open up to the ceiling so that it could pass through. The animatronic was then transported to Universal Studios Stage 12 via a flatbed truck. It was transported at night before 7 AM because the City of Los Angeles said that it could potentially block traffic and on a certain path due to the robotic dinosaur's size making it unable to go under bridges.

In addition to CGI and the animatronic, a full-scale physical foot prop whose construction was overseen by John Rosengrant was also used during the plane attack scene. It was suspended by two poles that were operated by two Stan Winston Studio puppeteers and was used to step on a prop of the plane's fuselage designed by Michael Lantieri that was full-scale as well. Also, 250 gallons of oatmeal was used to portray the Spino dung.

Concept art by Industrial Light and Magic of the Tyrannosaurus vs Spinosaurus duel, this artwork in particular showcasing the T. rex's first move.

In Ricardo F. Delgado's concept art for the plane attack scene after the plane's body falls to the ground, the pilot (or co-pilot) in the body of the destroyed plane makes a dash toward the plane's nose that is nearby to evade the advancing Spinosaurus, but the dinosaur notices the movement of the pilot and approaches the removed nose. In retaliation, the unlucky human desperately hides inside the plane part he/she has reached as the Spinosaurus begins rolling the plane's nose before using its head to push the plane part onto its tip. The sail-backed dinosaur then sticks its head inside the front of the plane where it finds the pilot and flings him/her up in the air where the human falls into the Spino's mouth. Furthermore, instead of the Spinosaurus losing the protagonists via getting its head stuck in between two trees, Delgado's concept art shows that the Spinosaurus was to be trapped in a group of fallen trees caused by a mudslide. During the filming of this scene, the Spino animatronic malfunctioned. When it was sticking its head inside the body of the plane, it instead began slamming into the plane "like a jackhammer" as director Joe Johnston described the malfunction.

The animatronics of Tyrannosaurus and Spinosaurus on stage together.

Director Joe Johnston created the famous Spino vs T. rex as an homage to Ray Harryhausen's go motion dinosaurs and wanted to recreate a modern version of those fights. The fight with the T. rex was one of the last scenes to be filmed for JPIII. The film crew brought out both the animatronics of Spinosaurus and a refurbished Tyrannosaur Buck for the shooting of the battle. Due to how powerful the mechanical Spinosaurus was, the Spino destroyed the Tyrannosaurus with one final blow that broke its neck which in turn caused its head to collapse, releasing hydraulic fluid that John Rosengrant described as being "almost like blood spewing". Over 20 seconds of footage of the fight, particularly of the animatronics, was cut from the film. Despite this, a shot of the animatronic fight where the Spinosaur slaps the Tyrannosaur was still present in the theatrical trailer.

The scene where the Spinosaurus attacks the boat of Dr. Grant and the Kirbys is taken from the Jurassic Park novel chapter "The Park" where the Tyrannosaurus known as Rexy attacks the raft of Dr. Grant and the Murphy children. This scene was originally planned for the first film before it was ultimately cut before production when David Koepp was writing the final version of the script. There were two scenes that were cut from this sequence. The first removed scene is a CGI shot of the Spinosaurus emerging out of the water during its attack on the group's boat, and the other is an alternate conclusion to the skirmish in which Dr. Grant uses the Velociraptor resonation chamber replica to summon the film's pack of Velociraptors which attack the Spinosaur and kill it, unlike in the final where Grant uses a flare gun found on the barge to scare away the Spinosaurus.

Also, one of the alternate endings included a battle between Spinosaurus and the Marines.^{[citation needed]} This alternate ending seems to have been reworked into the ending of the Jurassic Park III levels of LEGO Jurassic World where the Spinosaurus arrives at the beach with the Velociraptor pack of those levels just after the arrival of rescue team, though the soldiers do not fight the Spinosaurus.

The roars of the Spinosaurus in Jurassic Park III were created by mixing the low guttural sounds of a lion and an alligator, a bear cub crying, and a lengthened cry of a large bird (vulture) that gave the roars a raspy quality.

The ringing of the phone in the Spinosaurus stomach is likely an homage to the crocodile from Peter Pan, who had swallowed an alarm clock that went off every time it was near, thus alerting others to its presence.

Several designs of the logo for Jurassic Park III did not feature Spinosaurus, instead featuring Velociraptor (represented as Deinonychus), Pteranodon, a Lourinhanosaurus embryo, a human embryo (usually depicted as a skeleton), and finally series veteran Tyrannosaurus rex.

Jurassic Park III concept art of a Spinosaurus incubator by Ricardo Delgado.

The reason for the Spinosaurus' absence from the list of the dinosaurs created by InGen and its overall existence on Isla Sorna is left unanswered in Jurassic Park III. One theory is that InGen scientists mistook the juveniles that lacked their famous sail seen in the adults for its relatives Baryonyx (which was planned to have its own paddock in Jurassic Park) and/or Suchomimus. This could hold true as the Suchomimus type specimen is a sub-adult and the holotype of Baryonyx is commonly believed not to have been fully grown. Furthermore and as stated above, the film's Spino's snout is similar in appearance to Suchomimus. Interestingly, Ricardo F. Delgado created concept art of an incubator for Spinosaurus that is never seen in the film. This could indicate that the mysterious existence of the film's Spinosaurus was to be explored further in an older draft of the script.

Spinosaurus is the first dinosaur in the films that can survive or at least win in a fight with a Tyrannosaurus rex, followed by the Giganotosaurus in Jurassic World: Dominion. Though the dinosaur hybrid Indominus rex could be deadly enough to kill a Tyrannosaurus as well because in Jurassic World the Indominus that was in the film was able to overpower the Tyrannosaurus rex of Isla Nublar before the Velociraptor Blue intervened.

Spinosaurus is a controversial dinosaur in the Jurassic Park franchise because of its portrayal in Jurassic Park III. Particularly when it was shown to be more powerful than the fan-favorite Tyrannosaurus rex. The destruction of the mounted Spinosaurus in Main Street from the Tyrannosaurus of Isla Nublar in the fight at the end of Jurassic World is a reference to the infamous fight. Despite the controversy, the Spinosaurus remains to be one of the most recognizable and well-known dinosaurs in the franchise, and it has become a fan-favorite amongst many.

Jurassic Park Institute Artwork.

If one listens closely and are good at hearing, the Spinosaurus uses some of the sounds of the Suchomimus from Warpath: Jurassic Park, and the Carnotaurus from Disney's Dinosaur, this is highly proven since sound designer, Christopher Boyes previously worked on Disney film a year ago.^{[citation needed]}

Spinosaurus rising from the river in a deleted scene. (Image credit: Jurassic Park Legacy.)

In the 2005 Chinese edition of the Jurassic Park novel, Spinosaurus is featured on the cover despite never appearing in any form or mention in the book.

A Jurassic Park III RPG book, which was exclusive to Korea, states that the Spinosaurus is female. Many fans have used this as a source of the Spinosaurus' gender. However, it's a non-canon book and none of the movies acknowledge the information.

In a 2013 commerical for the Jurassic Park: River Adventure, the roar of the Tyrannosaurus featured in the ride is of Spinosaurus.

The design of Papo's Spinosaurus figure seems have been based on its Jurassic Park III depiction, most notably do it being double-crested.

The placard for the Jurassic World Spinosaurus mount has the image of its depiction from the Jurassic Park Institute's Dinopedia.

Spinosaurus in a storyboard for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Spinosaurus was planned to be in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom before being cut and classed as subject to cruelty by the Dinosaur Protection Group. However, an interview with Scott Kreamer and Swrve claims that it's still on Mantah Corp Island during the year 2018, the year of which Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom takes place.

Spinosaurus size chart

The Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Spinosaurus model created by Chris Sears