New dinosaur species unearthed in Sahara (PHOTOS/VIDEO)

Fossils from Niger has revealed a 95-million-year-old predator with a striking head crest

Scientists have identified a new species of Spinosaurus in the Sahara Desert in Niger. The fossils show a fish-eating predator with a dramatic scimitar-shaped crest that lived about 95 million years ago. 

The discovery was detailed in the journal Science on Thursday and highlighted by the University of Chicago News. The 20-person group making the discovery was led by Paul Sereno, professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the university. It named the new dinosaur ‘Spinosaurus mirabilis’. 

“This find was so sudden and amazing, it was really emotional for our team,” Sereno stated.  

The professor led expeditions to Niger in 2019 and 2022, when the material for the report was collected. 

The study states that “the new species is based on the dramatic extension and scimitar form of the cranial crest and other subtle features that differentiate it from its closest relative, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus.” 

Now that the dust has settled I can finally talk about #Spinosaurus mirabilis for #FossilFriday. A spinosaurid that I am looking forward to incorporating into my thesis research. Art by @playerDNG. #spinosaurs #dinosaurs #paleontology pic.twitter.com/JjpGErcaAB

— Evan Johnson-Ransom (@EJR_Paleo_MSc) February 20, 2026

Sereno said the animal resembled a giant heron adapted for hunting in rivers, which inspired the nickname “hell heron.” Researchers compared the dinosaur’s crest to similar head features in modern birds. The study says the crest was covered by a hard outer layer made of keratin, the same material found in human fingernails. 

🦖 Descubierta una nueva especie de dinosaurio en una investigación con participación de la UNED

🔬 El hallazgo, publicado en la revista Science, identifica al Spinosaurus mirabilis, una nueva especie que obliga a revisar la imagen más extendida de este depredador del Cretácico. pic.twitter.com/AknZ1DrjM3

— UNED (@UNED) February 20, 2026

Scans also showed small channels inside the bone that once carried blood. To better understand how the crest may have looked and worked, the team studied birds such as the Casuarius casuarius, which has a large bony structure on its head. 

One of the researchers also addressed an earlier image that circulated online before the paper was published. The scientist said the image showed a rough early model created during fieldwork in 2022 to help the team visualize the new dinosaur. 

Africa has yielded several major dinosaur discoveries over the past decades. In 1999, another team led by Paul Sereno described Jobaria tiguidensis, a large long-necked plant-eating dinosaur discovered in Niger. The fossils were found in the Sahara Desert and dated to the Middle Jurassic period.  

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Another discovery was announced in 2018 in Egypt. Scientists described a new species of titanosaur, Mansourasaurus shahinae, based on fossils uncovered in the Western Desert.