Paleontologists at the University of Southampton (UK) and Ohio State University (USA) have reconstructed the brain and inner ear of two spinosaurs, revealing new details about how these carnivorous dinosaurs interacted with their environment. This is reported in an article published in the Journal of Anatomy.

The researchers scanned the fossils of two spinosaurids—Baryonyx from Surrey and Ceratosuchops from the Isle of Wight—that lived 125 million years ago. They reconstructed the soft tissues of the brains of both dinosaurs and found that the olfactory bulbs were not particularly developed, and hearing was adapted to low-frequency sounds. Those parts of the brain responsible for maintaining head position and fixing the gaze on prey may have been less developed than in later spinosaurs.

Early spinosaurids were semi-aquatic, but there is no evidence that this affected their brains in any way. One explanation is that the carnivorous ancestors of Spinosaurus already had brains and sensory adaptations suited to catching fish. These dinosaurs had only to develop morphological adaptations, including an elongated shape and teeth.