Scientists have discovered a huge new species of fish-eating dinosaur in the Sahara Desert in Niger, West Africa, and they announced the find on 20 February 2026. The dinosaur has been named Spinosaurus mirabilis, and experts say it lived nearly 100 million years ago. The fossils were found by an international research team led by the University of Chicago in the United States.
Researchers were excited because this is the first new spinosaurid dinosaur identified in more than 100 years. The fossil site sits in northern Niger, about 620 miles from the nearest sea, which suggests the dinosaur lived far inland. Scientists think the area was once a forested place with many rivers, not the dry desert we see today.
Because of the rivers, the team believes Spinosaurus mirabilis often went into the water to catch fish. They say it may have hunted a bit like modern herons, which stand still and strike quickly. Professor Paul Sereno explained that the dinosaur could wade confidently into two metres of water on its strong legs, but probably spent most of its time in shallower areas.
Spinosaurus mirabilis was enormous—about 12 metres long, around the length of a bus. It may have weighed five to seven tonnes, similar to a large African elephant. Scientists also think it had a large head crest that might have been brightly coloured and curved upward, perhaps to help it stand out.
Its mouth was built for slippery prey, with interlocking teeth and a lower jaw that stuck out. This kind of fish-grabbing design is also seen in other ancient animals that ate fish, including some pterosaurs and semi-aquatic crocodiles. The team found fossils from more than one Spinosaurus mirabilis, along with bones from other dinosaurs from about 95 million years ago.
Professor Sereno said the discovery was sudden and so astonishing that it made the team feel very emotional. For scientists, finds like this are like opening a new chapter in Earth’s history—one fossil at a time.
