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Spinosauridae

Riojavenatrix lacustris

"La Rioja huntress"

Generic theropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Riojavenatrix 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic theropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Riojavenatrix
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Early Cretaceous (145–100 Mya)
Place
Europe · Spain
Food
Piscivore (fish-eater)
Clade
Spinosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Crocodile-snouted fish-eaters with sail or hump.

Riojavenatrix (meaning “La Rioja huntress”) is a genus of spinosaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous Enciso Group of La Rioja, Spain. The type species is Riojavenatrix lacustris. Riojavenatrix represents one of five known spinosaurid taxa from the Iberian Peninsula, the others being Camarillasaurus, Iberospinus, Protathlitis, and Vallibonavenatrix.

What we know

  • Named by Isasmendi et al., 2024.
  • Fossils found in Europe and Spain.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Riojavenatrix — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.