Surprising Spinosaurs: New Discoveries in Brazil and Spain

Paleontologists used X-ray computed tomography to investigate the fossil skull of Irritator challengeri, a spinosaurid dinosaur from Brazil. They discovered that the predator had a strongly inclined snout that evolved to close quickly and a lower jaw joint that widened the pharynx when opened, allowing it to swallow small prey whole. The study provides new insights into the lifestyle of spinosaurids and their exceptional anatomical features.