A study reveals a new species of spinosaurid, the ‘Riojavenatrix lacustris’, that lived 120 million years ago

A new dinosaur species, named Riojavenatrix lacustris, unique in the world of paleontology, has been discovered in Igea, La Rioja. The fossil belongs to the Spinosaurid family, measuring between 7 and 8 meters long, 2.5 meters tall, and weighing around 1,500 kilograms. The creature roamed on its hind legs about 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period. It exhibited typical theropod features, a group that includes large carnivorous dinosaurs, such as a low elongated skull, sharp-toothed jaws, and powerful three- fingered clawed arms. Its primary diet was fish, hinting it might have hunted along the lake shores, hence its name, Riojavenatrix lacustris, or «The Lake Huntress of La Rioja«. The discovery, first unearthed in 1983, has been published in the British journal Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, confirming the existence of a new Spinosaurid genus and species. It’s the first dinosaur described in La Rioja and the fifth Spinosaurid recorded in the Iberian Peninsula during this prehistoric period, joining the ranks of Camarillasaurus, Vallibonavenatrix, Protathlitis, and Iberospinus. The findings are featured in a doctoral thesis by Erik Isasmendi, a researcher at the University of the Basque Country. The new dinosaur presents a unique combination of anatomical features that differentiate it from other Spinosaurids, including the iconic Baryonyx displayed in London’s Natural History Museum. The Riojavenatrix is not the only significant find at this paleontological site. Other notable discoveries include one of the most complete Spinosaurid skeletons known in Europe and the world, named Villar. These findings put La Rioja on the global map of Spinosaurids and carnivorous dinosaurs, sparking new questions about these creatures‘ ecology and coexistence, leading to more detailed future studies on Spinosaurids.