Movie-starring dinosaurs originated in Europe, study finds
A bizarre group of fish-eating dinosaurs that featured in Jurassic Park 3 originated in Europe, a new study has found.
The iconic Spinosaurus – part of the Spinosaurid family of dinosaurs and recognisable by an elaborate sail along its back – famously faced off against the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex in the hit movie.
Origins
Their geographical origins had proved elusive, but new research led by the University of Bristol in collaboration with the University of Leeds suggests Spinosaurids likely originated in Europe, where they later diversified in Southern England, Portugal, and Spain in the early Cretaceous.
They then migrated from Europe into Asia during a period of sea-level decline, either around 140 or 120 million years ago, when a land bridge allowed them to cross an ancient ocean that submerged much of Eastern Europe.
Zak Lewis, the lead author of the study and research associate of the University of Bristol, said: “We used computer modelling to resolve where these dinosaurs originated, when and how they spread across the planet, and why they did not reach certain continents when other dinosaurs could.”
The study emphasises that these specialised dinosaurs were sensitive to their environment and habitat, and it might offer a clue as to how they eventually went extinct.
Climate clues
These dinosaurs do not appear in North America, Australia, and Antarctica, despite other large predatory dinosaurs managing to migrate to these areas. The findings suggest that the Spinosaurids may have been tied to warm, semi-aquatic environments, possibly making it difficult for them to disperse into new regions.
Dr Cassius Morrison, Royal Society Career Development Fellow from the University of Leeds and co-author of the study, said: “The study emphasises that these specialised dinosaurs were sensitive to their environment and habitat, and it might offer a clue as to how they eventually went extinct.
“This finding has timely implications for modern specialist animals in the face of the current climate crisis”.
Further information
Email media enquiries to University of Leeds press officer Paddy Wells via p.wells1@leeds.ac.uk
The research paper, Sailing to Gondwana: multiple waves of spinosaurid dispersal to the southern continents, was published in Royal Society Open Science on 28 October 2026.
Picture credit: Pedro Salas & Sergey Krasovskiy.
