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Jim Kirkland
<?Neoceratodus africanus and ?Neoceratodus tuberculatus both occur
widely
in rocks of this age across North Africa and definitively occur in the Suchimimus bearing strata in Niger. Their tooth plates are huge and at up to 15+ cm long by 8 cm wide (max) are perhaps largest in fossil record. N. africanus is pretty common. I would say 2-3 meters long is not unlikely. Also as opposed to Lepidotes a large, typically marine fish that might have spawned seasonably in these rivers, N. africanus would probably live in these rivers year round. There are also smaller lungfish species, sharks and a variety of other actinopterygians from these beds. There would have been a lot of fish for Suchimimus.> Since the discovery of Baryonyx) I have been an advocate of the fish-eating
habits of spinosaurids. I guess one 1,5 - 2 meters long, 50 - 60 kg ( is my
estimate correct?) Lepidotes or Neoceratodus (there were others on the menu,
too, of course), or a few smaller fish would be more than enough for a
whole day meal, maybe even for a couple of days for a 1,5 - 2 tone
Baryonyx or Suchomimus ( if it had pretty high metabolic rate - if not, even
proportionately less). And the fish was obviously abundant - and the swamp
- shallow marine system was most likely huge. No need to run around the dry
ground and catch fleet-footed small dinosaurs, or desperately seek for a
carcass. Just waiting in the shade for a fish to swim by, would have been
enough. Spinosaur was a patient fisherman, with nothing much else to do
the whole day. but wait for the fish to come.
I also agree with a recent Holtz's opinion on this List, that we might expect spinosaur fossils to be found in North America, too - because it was a part of the same type of connected swamp-like environment like in Europe and Africa. |