The Fossil Lost in the War

About this drawing

The sail-backed spinosaurus has a story as dramatic as its looks. Its first bones came out of Egypt, thanks to a team led by the German paleontologist Ernst Stromer, who described the animal in 1915. The fossil, with its gigantic back spines, went to a museum in Munich and sat on display for years.

Then came World War II. In 1944 an Allied bombing raid destroyed the museum and the bones along with it. All that remained were Stromer's notes, sketches and photographs. For decades this dinosaur was little more than a ghost, known to scientists mostly from paper.

Early in this century, new finds in Morocco brought it back to life. A partial skull revealed a very long snout, and later work suggested it was probably the longest land predator known, beating out T-Rex at roughly 46 feet or more. Quite a comeback for an animal that had been erased from the record.

There are still mysteries to solve, and the sail is a big one. Some experts think it regulated body heat, while others say it served as a billboard for attracting mates or looking bigger. Even its posture remains in debate, and reconstructions keep changing. Every new bone from the desert can rewrite what we thought we knew.

• dinosaurs
• spinosaurus
• fossils
• history