A Different Dinosaur T e bones Ibrahim remembered from the book had been discovered by a German scientist. He had uncovered these unusual dinosaur bones in the Sahara. T is dinosaur was bigger than T. rex. It had
long jaws and sharp teeth shaped like cones. It also had a huge sail on its back. T e scientist named it Spinosaurus. Only two partial skeletons of Spinosaurus
had ever been found. A museum in Germany put one on display, but both were destroyed during World War II. Only some of the scientist’s notes and old photos remained. Ibrahim thought his fossil and the ones
in Italy might be from Spinosaurus, but he needed proof. He needed more bones. He would have to return to Morocco. He would have to find the man with the mustache.
On the Trail It was crazy. Ibrahim knew that. He didn’t know the fossil hunter’s name or address. All he knew was that the man had a mustache and was wearing white. T at wasn’t much to go on. Still, Ibrahim wouldn’t let go of the idea. If he could find the fossil hunter again, maybe Ibrahim could find Spinosaurus. Against all odds, Ibrahim traveled back
to the small town in Morocco and began his search. Days went by without success. No one seemed to know who or where the fossil hunter was. Time was running out. Ibrahim’s spirits
sank. T e task seemed impossible. On his last day in Morocco, Ibrahim sat with two friends in a small café, sipping tea. He could feel his dream slipping away. T en suddenly, he looked up. A tall man
wearing white passed by his table. T e man had a mustache. Ibrahim leaped up and chased aſt er him.
Ibrahim’s heart beat wildly. He caught up to the man and looked at his face. It was the fossil hunter! Now, if only the fossil hunter would lead him to the fossils.
20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
Discovery! T e man with the mustache listened closely to Ibrahim. He understood what Ibrahim was trying to do and how important it was. He fi nally agreed to lead Ibrahim to the place where he had found the fossils. T e next day, the two men drove a short distance into the Sahara. T en the fossil hunter stopped their vehicle. T ey would have to make the rest of the trip on foot. T ey climbed a steep slope that couldn’t be seen from the main road. Near the top, they reached what looked like a small cave carved into the hillside. T is was where the fossil hunter had been digging.
Trembling, Ibrahim climbed into the hole. He took a deep breath. Using special tools, he gently picked away at some of the sand and rock. Within minutes, he discovered several bones. Ibrahim studied the bones and smiled. At last, he had found Spinosaurus!
Building the Beast Ibrahim’s search for Spinosaurus was over, but his work on the hillside was just beginning. Fossils found there led scientists to believe that many large, predatory dinosaurs may have lived in this area at the same time. T ey included two dinosaurs as big as T. rex. Did that mean that they were all competing for the same prey?
Ibrahim began to form a hypothesis for
how Spinosaurus could have lived among other big predators. To prove his theory, though, he had to conduct an experiment. Ibrahim had to recreate Spinosaurus. First, he took all the fossils he’d gathered and put them together to see what this dinosaur might have looked like. His method was to combine the fossilized bones with digital modeling. T en, working with other scientists, he made a skin for his model skeleton. Now he had a complete Spinosaurus. What he had created surprised him. It looked very diff erent from all the other dinosaurs he had ever seen.
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