← Rex's Notes
Ichthyovenator
A spinosaur with a split sail.
Said: IK-thee-oh-VEN-ah-tor
Era: Cretaceous · 125 million years ago
Diet: Carnivore
Habitat: River systems of southeast Asia
Size: about the length of a delivery truck.
What it was like
Ichthyovenator means fish hunter. Its sail had a strange dip in the middle, like two fins instead of one.
What we know now
Described in 2012 from a partial skeleton in Laos, it is among the more complete Asian spinosaurids. The two-part sail is anatomically unusual and probably had a display function. Cervical morphology may indicate a low-slung neck for fishing, similar to herons, though the holotype's neck is incomplete.
Notes
- First spinosaurid found in Asia.
- Vertebral spines suggest the body sail was tall but interrupted.
- Likely competed with giant freshwater fish like Lepidotes.