The “Salt King” 🦖 | New Spinosaurus Discovery Explained episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 5, 2026 · 24 MIN

The “Salt King” 🦖 | New Spinosaurus Discovery Explained

from Prehistoric Life · host Erik Crawford

🦖🌊 For over a century, Spinosaurus has been one of the most controversial dinosaurs ever discovered.Was it a shoreline hunter?A giant river predator?A semi-aquatic dinosaur?Or something even stranger?Now, a new discovery may have added one of the strongest pieces of evidence yet that Spinosaurus was adapted for life in salty coastal environments:Salt glands.The same kind of biological adaptation seen in seabirds, marine reptiles, and animals that regularly deal with high-salinity environments.And if scientists are right…this changes the Spinosaurus debate yet again.🎥 In this video, we explore:🌊 What salt glands actually do🦖 The new anatomical evidence found in spinosaur skulls🧠 Why this discovery matters for the aquatic Spinosaurus debate🐊 How Spinosaurus compares to crocodiles and marine animals🏝️ The ancient coastal ecosystems of North Africa⚔️ The ongoing identity crisis surrounding Spinosaurus🔥 The newly discussed “Hell Heron” spinosaur material📚 Papers & Sources Mentioned:• “Avian-like salt glands in Spinosauridae” — Andrea Cau et al. (Historical Biology, 2026)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2026.2669954• “The earliest evidence for a supraorbital salt gland in dinosaurs in new Early Cretaceous ornithurines” (Scientific Reports, 2018)https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-22412-8Spinosaurus may not have been fully marine like a mosasaur…but it may have occupied a unique ecological niche unlike any other giant dinosaur in history.A predator caught between land and sea.👍 Like, subscribe, and stick around for more dinosaur projects, fossil science, and prehistoric storytelling!🦕 SUPPORT THE PREHISTORIC LIFE PATREON If you want to help fuel these projects (and get some exclusive perks), consider supporting the Prehistoric Life Patreon. Every bit helps me create bigger and better content for you all. Thank you all so much for being here and supporting these worlds we’re building together. More updates coming soon—stay prehistoric! 🌋🦖 👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more fossil-filled content! 🎙️ Hosted by Prehistoric Life Podcast: 🌐 Website: prehistoriclifepodcast.com 💖 Support the show: patreon.com/c/PrehistoricLifePodcast 🦴 This Episode is Sponsored By: 🔍 Dinosaur Trips — Go on a fossil-hunting adventure of a lifetime! 🦕 Mention Prehistoric Life Podcast at checkout and get $250 off your tickets: 👉 dinosaurtrips.com 🦖 DinosaurSkeletons.co.uk — For museum-quality fossil replicas and decor: 👉 dinosaurskeletons.co.uk #Spinosaurus #Dinosaurs #Paleontology #Fossils #Science #PrehistoricLife #Theropod #MarineReptiles

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 5, 2026

🦖🌊 For over a century, Spinosaurus has been one of the most controversial dinosaurs ever discovered.Was it a shoreline hunter?A giant river predator?A semi-aquatic dinosaur?Or something even stranger?Now, a new discovery may have added one of the strongest pieces of evidence yet that Spinosaurus was adapted for life in salty coastal environments:Salt glands.The same kind of biological adaptation seen in seabirds, marine reptiles, and animals that regularly deal with high-salinity environments.And if scientists are right…this changes the Spinosaurus debate yet again.🎥 In this video, we explore:🌊 What salt glands actually do🦖 The new anatomical evidence found in spinosaur skulls🧠 Why this discovery matters for the aquatic Spinosaurus debate🐊 How Spinosaurus compares to crocodiles and marine animals🏝️ The ancient coastal ecosystems of North Africa⚔️ The ongoing identity crisis surrounding Spinosaurus🔥 The newly discussed “Hell Heron” spinosaur material📚 Papers & Sources Mentioned:• “Avian-like salt glands in Spinosauridae” — Andrea Cau et al. (Historical Biology, 2026)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2026.2669954• “The earliest evidence for a supraorbital salt gland in dinosaurs in new Early Cretaceous ornithurines” (Scientific Reports, 2018)https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-22412-8Spinosaurus may not have been fully marine like a mosasaur…but it may have occupied a unique ecological niche unlike any other giant dinosaur in history.A predator caught between land and sea.👍 Like, subscribe, and stick around for more dinosaur projects, fossil science, and prehistoric storytelling!🦕 SUPPORT THE PREHISTORIC LIFE PATREON If you want to help fuel these projects (and get some exclusive perks), consider supporting the Prehistoric Life Patreon. Every bit helps me create bigger and better content for you all. Thank you all so much for being here and supporting these worlds we’re building together. More updates coming soon—stay prehistoric! 🌋🦖 👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more fossil-filled content! 🎙️ Hosted by Prehistoric Life Podcast: 🌐 Website: prehistoriclifepodcast.com 💖 Support the show: patreon.com/c/PrehistoricLifePodcast 🦴 This Episode is Sponsored By: 🔍 Dinosaur Trips — Go on a fossil-hunting adventure of a lifetime! 🦕 Mention Prehistoric Life Podcast at checkout and get $250 off your tickets: 👉 dinosaurtrips.com 🦖 DinosaurSkeletons.co.uk — For museum-quality fossil replicas and decor: 👉 dinosaurskeletons.co.uk #Spinosaurus #Dinosaurs #Paleontology #Fossils #Science #PrehistoricLife #Theropod #MarineReptiles

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The “Salt King” 🦖 | New Spinosaurus Discovery Explained

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🦖🌊 For over a century, Spinosaurus has been one of the most controversial dinosaurs ever discovered.Was it a shoreline hunter?A giant river predator?A semi-aquatic dinosaur?Or something even stranger?Now, a new discovery may have added one of the...

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