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Was Spinosaurus found in Morocco?

Yes. The original Spinosaurus was discovered in Egypt in 1912, but many important recent discoveries have come from Morocco's Kem Kem beds. These Moroccan finds are central to the modern debate about this giant semi-aquatic predator.

Spinosaurus fossil map Morocco country guide

The first discovery

Egypt, 1912: Stromer's Spinosaurus

German paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach led an expedition to the Bahariya Oasis in western Egypt. Between 1911 and 1914, his team uncovered partial remains of a large, unusual theropod with elongated dorsal vertebrae forming a distinctive “sail.” Stromer named it Spinosaurus aegyptiacus — the “Egyptian spine lizard.” He recognized it as something new: a giant predator with adaptations unlike any known dinosaur. His publication in 1915 described conical teeth, a long narrow snout, and the towering neural spines that made Spinosaurus instantly iconic.

The lost holotype

Munich, 1944: bombed into history

Stromer kept the fossils at the Paläontologische Staatssammlung in Munich. During World War II, he begged Nazi authorities to move the collection to a safer location. They refused. On the night of April 24–25, 1944, an Allied bombing raid struck the museum. The Spinosaurus holotype — along with other Egyptian dinosaurs Stromer had described — was destroyed. All that remained were photographs, drawings, and Stromer's detailed field notes. For over half a century, Spinosaurus was a ghost known only from paper.

The Moroccan renaissance

Kem Kem, 1990s–present: a dinosaur reborn

Beginning in the 1990s, fossil hunters in southeastern Morocco began finding spinosaurid teeth and bones in the Kem Kem beds. By the early 2000s, researchers confirmed these as Spinosaurus material. In 2014, Nizar Ibrahim and colleagues published a landmark paper describing a new partial skeleton from the Kem Kem, proposing that Spinosaurus was a semi-aquatic predator with short hind limbs and adaptations for swimming. Subsequent discoveries — including tail vertebrae suggesting a paddle-like tail — have continued to reshape our understanding of this remarkable animal.

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Spinosaurus on Fossil Atlas

Spinosaurus fossil map

Full specimen profile with selected North African fossil records mapped.

Morocco country guide

Overview of Moroccan dinosaur fossils, sites, and formations.

FAQ

Common questions about Spinosaurus discoveries

Where exactly was Spinosaurus found?

The first Spinosaurus specimen was discovered in 1912 by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer in the Bahariya Oasis of Egypt. Tragically, that original holotype was destroyed during an Allied bombing raid on Munich in 1944. Since the 1990s, significant new Spinosaurus material has been recovered from the Kem Kem beds in southeastern Morocco, including partial skeletons, isolated bones, and teeth. These Moroccan discoveries are the basis for most modern understanding of Spinosaurus anatomy and lifestyle.

Is Spinosaurus only found in Morocco and Egypt?

Most definitive Spinosaurus material comes from Egypt and Morocco. However, spinosaurid teeth and fragmentary remains have been reported from other North African countries including Algeria, Tunisia, Niger, and Libya. These may represent Spinosaurus or closely related spinosaurids. The broader family Spinosauridae had a much wider distribution, with members known from South America (Irritator), Europe (Baryonyx), and Asia.

What happened to the original Spinosaurus fossils?

Ernst Stromer's original Spinosaurus holotype, housed in the Paläontologische Staatssammlung München, was destroyed on the night of April 24–25, 1944, during an Allied bombing raid on Munich. Stromer had pleaded with Nazi officials to move the collection to safety, but his requests were denied. For over 50 years, Spinosaurus was known only from Stromer's published photographs, drawings, and descriptions — a ghost dinosaur until new Moroccan specimens reignited research in the 21st century.

Are Spinosaurus fossils still being found in Morocco?

Yes. New Spinosaurus material continues to surface from the Kem Kem beds, largely through the work of local fossil collectors and international research teams. In recent decades, discoveries have included tail vertebrae suggesting a paddle-like swimming tail, dense limb bones indicating aquatic adaptations, and additional cranial and postcranial material filling gaps left by the destruction of the holotype. Research on Spinosaurus remains active, with new publications regularly revising our understanding of this remarkable dinosaur.

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Sources

Where this page gets its record context

Source links show where Fossil Atlas gets record and curation context. They do not make this page an exhaustive scientific bibliography.

Caveat

What this page does not claim

This page summarizes published Spinosaurus discoveries from Egypt and Morocco. It does not attempt to resolve ongoing debates about Spinosaurus posture, swimming ability, or taxonomic classification of fragmentary North African spinosaurid material. These remain active areas of paleontological research.

Fossil maps on linked pages show modern discovery locations for selected records. These are not ancient habitat or range maps.