#riojavenatrix

Hi there,

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

(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.