The Origami Forum

Spinosaurus seems to be a relatively popular origami model, with Kato's and Kamiya's models possibly representing the most realistic. ...well, they were the most realistic models. Although this information has been floating around in dinosaur paleontology circles for a few years, the fact that the sail on the back of Spinosaurus was much more extensive is only just now coming into broader light! So for anyone looking to invent (or modify) a Spinosaurus origami model to make it more anatomically correct, this web site (and the links therein) have the full story, as well as some restorations of what the real animal, and its sail, looked like. The article there has a few technical terms in it, but should be eminently readable. Just FYI!

Dang, I was planning to update my design anyway, and it looks like the updates will have to be more extensive than previously thought. So, it seems like Spino's sail was more like that of Ouranosaurus after all, I'm not too surprised.

another update:
from http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/9330670/1/

TOTAL BIG NEWS

They found the LOWER LIMB(S) of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, and they are much shorter than expected, DESPITE THE FACT that S. aegyptiacus was the least semiaquatic spinosaurid. A guy working with Horner told me that. Why do i trust him? Because he works with Maganuco too !

From left to right
Anonymous person, Simone Maganuco, Andrea Cau and Cristiano Dal Sasso
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7tPX ... rspino.jpg

Also, here more pics of the WONDERFUL reconstruction Dal Sasso and Maganuco made
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oYhQ ... o%2521.jpg
http://parma.repubblica.it/images/2011/ ... 7c3358.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ewibs2_LWiE/T ... C01587.JPG
http://www.geomodel.it/images/Spinosaur ... rus-13.jpg

Hmmmm...I don't think that's correct. Certainly this is not information that has made the rounds at any conference of which I'm aware or any of the usual dinosaur fora (where stuff like that spreads like wildfire); certainly, nothing about this has been formally published. I don't know from where Big Al got his information (though I'd certainly be interested to see the source!), but for now, I wouldn't lend this any credence. The concept that Spinosaurus had shorter legs than...well, than whatever they're supposed to be shorter than in that posting, certainly isn't impossible by any means; it's just unsupported by any data whatsoever. Based on what we know from other theropod dinosaurs, especially close relatives of Spinosaurus (such as Baryonyx and Suchomimus, neither of which is known from complete skeletons, though the latter lacks only the feet out of all the hind limb bones), it's not parsimonious (meaning that it's not a likely inference) to presume that it's limbs weren't out of a proportion to it's body that one might expect to see in any other large theropod. Still, I'm fully open to being proven wrong...I'd just like to see the actual specimens and data!

I don't know, it's also linked on Natgeo Italia, very very little information, but this seems legitimate. I'm as surprised as you, believe me.

Here's the translated link:
http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... md%3Dimvns