After a grueling three-day trek across some of the harshest terrain in the Sahara, a team led by University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno struck fossil gold in northern Niger. At a remote site known as Jenguebi—far from roads, wells, or permanent settlements—the researchers uncovered multiple fossils of Spinosaurus mirabilis, one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs ever discovered. The expedition was inspired by the mention of a mysterious tooth in a 1950s scientific monograph, leading the team to a site untouched for over seventy years. There, they uncovered more than 100 fossil sites in less than two weeks. The thin sandstone outcrops, dubbed the “Spinosaur archipelago,” yielded remains dating back 95 million years, offering fresh insight into a prehistoric predator that continues to captivate scientists and the public alike.
Reuters
