A New 'Hell Heron' Dinosaur Discovered in the Remote Sahara, 70 Years After the Initial Clue
Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a new species of Spinosaurus, a meat-eating dinosaur that may have rivaled T. rex in size. The new species, named Spinosaurus mirabilis, lived 95 to 100 million years ago and was found in the Sahara Desert, in a remote location called Jenguebi, in the country of Niger.
The discovery, recently detailed in the journal Science, was years in the making. Researchers found jaw fragments in 2019 and two additional crests in 2022. Spinosaurus mirabilis was a shallow water predator that preyed on fish, despite its habitat being 600 miles inland from the ancient Tethys Sea.
The dinosaur's crest, a large bony ridge rising from the top of its skull, was brightly colored and covered in keratin, according to researchers. Professor Paul Sereno, Ph.D., of the University of Chicago, described Spinosaurus mirabilis as a sort of 'hell heron.'
'It had no problem wading on its sturdy legs into two meters of water, but probably spent most of its time stalking shallower traps for the many large fish of the day,' the professor said, as reported by news agency SWNS. Sereno was tipped off to the site by a French geologist's monograph describing a fossilized tooth resembling that of a similar predator.
With the help of a local, he was led to the fossil field with the rest of his team, where they found the teeth and jaw bones. 'It was really emotional for our team,' Sereno said. 'No one had been back to that tooth site in over 70 years.'
'It was an adventure and a half wandering into the sand seas to search for this locale and then find an even more remote fossil area with the new species,' he added. Sereno described the find as 'so sudden and amazing.'
The fossil remains will be put on display in the Museum of the River in Niamey, Niger, while a replica will be shown at the Chicago Children's Museum. 'Letting kids feel the excitement of new discoveries is key to ensuring the next generation of scientists who will discover many more things about our precious planet worth preserving,' Sereno said of the children's exhibit.
The discovery follows other dinosaur-related discoveries in the past several months. In November, Australian researchers announced they uncovered the traces of a dinosaur that may have been limping over 150 million years ago in Colorado. Earlier in 2025, scientists unearthed a new dinosaur species — and its ancient leftovers — in a tourist hot spot in Argentina.
