7 Difference between Spinosaurus and Tyrannosaurus (With Table)

Table of Contents

Spinosaurus and tyrannosaurus were the biggest carnivorous dinosaurs. Spinosaurus lived millions of years before tyrannosaurus.

These two pre-historic features have a lot in common but they also have differences that make them be distinguished from one another.

The two creatures did not live at the same time. Spinosaurus lived during the Cretaceous period specifically at the lower Albian to lower Cenomanian stages between 112 to 97 million years ago.

Tyrannosaurus lived during the upper Cretaceous period between 67 to 65 million years ago. This has made it to be well known to people.

So, what is the main difference between spinosaurus and tyrannosaurus? Spinosaurus lived during the mid-Cretaceous period while tyrannosaurus lived during the late cretaceous period.

This article will give you clear differences between spinosaurus and tyrannosaurus in tabular form. You will also get to learn about their similarities.

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Comparison Table (Spinosaurus vs. Tyrannosaurus)

Basic Terms	Spinosaurus	Tyrannosaurus
Period lived	They lived during the mid-Cretaceous period.	They lived during the late cretaceous period.
Geographical location	They were found in Egypt.	They were found in the United States and Canada.
What they fed on	They fed on fish and herbivores like Olorotitan.	Preyed on armored herbivorous dinosaurs.
Tails	Their tails were slightly flexible above the ground.	They have powerful and pointed tails.
Arms	Two large arms both weaponized.	Two small arms that couldn’t reach their mouth.
Teeth	They had coned-like teeth.	They had serrated, railroad spike-shaped teeth.
Head	They had narrow skulls like modern crocodiles.	They had heavy thick skulls.

What is Spinosaurus?

Spinosaurus was the largest carnivorous dinosaur that existed million years ago before the emergence of the tyrannosaurus.

They lived during the mid-Cretaceous period specifically at the lower Albian to lower Cenomanian stages between 112 to 97 million years ago.

They were between 12.8 to 18 meters long and weighed between 7 to 22 tons. They had a crocodile-like appearance with a long skull and narrow snouts.

There were tall spines growing out of its back vertebrae. They mostly moved on four two limbs but research says that they sometimes moved on four limbs.

They either caught land animals or ate fish. The remains were found in Egypt in 1912 and more were located in 1934.

They have been featured in most cultures most appearing in Jurassic Park movies.

What is Tyrannosaurus?

Tyrannosaurus lived during the upper cretaceous period between 67 to 65 million years ago. It was of the latest species prior to extinction.

It is the most known as it lived later than the spinosaurus. Scientists know much about the tyrannosaurus than the spinosaurus.

It was smaller than spinosaurus but it was the largest dinosaur on earth during its existence. It was about 12 meters long and 4 meters tall at the hip weighing 4.5 to 7.2 tons.

They had short but muscular necks, huge heads, and powerful legs, with two short forelimbs with a pair of clawed fingers on each.

They had long, heavy tails which aided in balancing their enormous head and the torso. It is the most appearing in movies making its first appearance in 1918 and later on in King Kong movies.

If the two dinosaurs could have existed at the same time, then tyrannosaurus could have been the most powerful one.

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Main Differences between Spinosaurus and Tyrannosaurus

Spinosaurus was larger in body size while tyrannosaurus was comparatively smaller in body size.

Spinosaurus lived during the mid-Cretaceous period while tyrannosaurus lived during the late cretaceous period.

Spinosaurus was found in Egypt while tyrannosaurus was found in the United States and Canada.

Spinosaurus’ tails were slightly flexible and above the ground while tyrannosaurus’ tails were powerful and pointed.

Spinosaurus had two large arms while tyrannosaurus had two small arms.

Spinosaurus had a narrow skull like the modern crocodile while tyrannosaurus had heavy thick skulls.

Spinosaurus had coned-like teeth while tyrannosaurus had serrated, railroad, spike-shaped teeth.

Similarities between Spinosaurus and Tyrannosaurus

Both were carnivores.

Both were extinct.

Both existed during the cretaceous period.

Both had two arms.

Both moved on two limbs.

Conclusion

Spinosaurus and tyrannosaurus were both dinosaurs that lived during the cretaceous period. Spinosaurus lived during the mid cretaceous while tyrannosaurus lived during the late cretaceous period.

The main difference between the two was that spinosaurus lived during the mid-Cretaceous period and it was the largest dinosaur while tyrannosaurus lived during the late cretaceous period and it was well-known among scientists.

More Sources and References:

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