Ichthyovenator

Ichthyovenator was a specialised fish-eating theropod that inhabited lush river basins in what is now Laos during the Early Cretaceous period. Measuring between eight and nine metres in length and weighing around two tonnes, it was a mid-sized member of the spinosaur family, comparable in weight to a modern rhinoceros. The most remarkable feature of Ichthyovenator is its bizarre dorsal sail. Unlike the continuous semi-circular sail of Spinosaurus, its elongated neural spines formed a distinct wave-like crest along the back that dipped abruptly before rising again over the hips, creating a unique notched silhouette. Preserved alongside river sediments, this predator likely used its conical teeth and elongated jaws to snatch large freshwater fish and other aquatic prey. It represents the first definitive spinosaurid skeleton discovered in Southeast Asia, confirming that this group had spread globally across Gondwana and Laurasia.

It possessed an unusual sinusoidal sail that dipped into an hourglass shape over its hips.

Where and when

Ichthyovenator lived in the Early Cretaceous, from 125 to 113 million years ago (Aptian age). Its remains come from Laos, in the Grès supérieurs Formation.

The numbers

Length 9 m (estimates run from 8.5 to 9.5 m). Mass about 1.9 t. Hip height about 2.3 m. That is 5.3 human-lengths, or 0.8 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

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