#riojavenatrix

[totaldino]

Riojavenatrix

Riojavenatrix is one of the most recent baryonychines to have lived. Like other spinosaurids, it was a large bipedal theropod with specializations for feeding in aquatic habitats, and likely fed on fish, though it may have been a more versatile predator. Riojavenatrix is estimated to have grown up to 8 m in length, and weighed around 1.5 t in body mass.

[adamworks]

Hi there,

It’s been a long time since I drew a dinosaur just for the joy of it, so here’s Riojavenatrix lacustris, the newly member of the spinosaurid family from Spain, described this year

[saffronsdinosaurart]

Spinosaurids of The Iberian Peninsula

Got five Baryonychine Spinosaurs to get through today, so I used a base to get through it a little faster because I was really aching to get to the Spinosaurus at this point and these remaining five basically look identical. But I gave em all patterns of ~various quality~ that way they each still get a little love. Because here at saffronsdinosaurart we don't leave anyones favorites dinosaur behind. No matter how obscure they are. Or how ugly I accidentally made their patterns... sorry Camerillasaurus fans. It was the last one I did and I just got real bored with the basic patterns by the end.

That's the base

[new-dinosaurs]

Riojavenatrix lacustris Isasmendi et al., 2024 (new genus and species)

(Shin and ankle bones [top, scale bars = 10 cm in A–O and 5 cm in P–T], and schematic skeletal by Scott Hartman [bottom], of Riojavenatrix lacustris, with preserved bones in fuchsia on the skeletal, from Isasmendi et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: Riojavenatrix = La Rioja huntress [in Latin]; lacustris = of lakes [in Latin]

Age: Early Cretaceous (probably Aptian)

Where found: Virgen del Villar-1, La Rioja, Spain

How much is known: Partial skeleton of one individual including some of the hindlimbs, fragments of the hips, and a partial back vertebra.

Notes: Riojavenatrix was a spinosaurid, a group of large theropods with specializations for feeding in aquatic habitats. It is one of many Early Cretaceous spinosaurids that have been found in the Iberian Peninsula, along with Vallibonavenatrix, Camarillasaurus, and Protathlitis, which are also from Spain, and Iberospinus from Portugal. Out of these, Riojavenatrix is likely youngest known spinosaurid from this time and region.

Reference: Isasmendi, E., E. Cuesta, I. Díaz-Martínez, J. Company, P. Sáez-Benito, L.I. Viera, A. Torices, and X. Pereda-Suberbiola. 2024. Increasing the theropod record of Europe: a new basal spinosaurid from the Enciso Group of the Cameros Basin (La Rioja, Spain). Evolutionary implications and palaeobiodiversity. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad193

[fishsfailureson]

a charcoal drawing of Riojavenatrix from yesterday