Spinosaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now Northern Africa, with its first fossils being found in Egypt. It is unclear what Spinosaurus used its sail for, although display and thermoregulation are common proposals. Its most distinguishing feature were its tall neural spines, which could grow up to 1.65m (5.4ft) tall and likely formed a large sail above the dinosaur's back. Spinosaurus is estimated to have grown up to 15m 49ft) long from snout to tail. Discovered in 1912 and described three years later by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer, Spinosaurus represents one of the largest members of the theropods, a group of largely carnivorous dinosaurs.
