Chv24 - Spinosaurus aegyptiacus neotype

3D Model

This is the 24th chevron (haemal arch) of the tail of the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus neotype, FSAC-KK 11888.

The chevrons in this region of the tail are as elongate, or even slightly more elongate, than those for more proximal caudals. Conversely, the transverse diameter of the tail is much narrower, with centrum 23 being only seven cm in width.

A total of nineteen chevrons are preserved for the tail of FSAC-KK 11888. Distal chevrons become more slender than the proximal ones, paralleling the gradual decrease in size of the centra. Each chevron mainly articulates with the more proximal centrum of the vertebral pair, although contact with the distal element was likely present.

The specimen is housed in the palaeontological collections of the Université Hassan II, Aïn Chock, Casablanca, Morocco.

Reference: Ibrahim N. et al. (2020). Tail-propelled aquatic locomotion in a theropod dinosaur. Nature, doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2190-3.