A Different Dinosaur Ibrahim remembered the images of bones from his book. T e dinosaur had sharp teeth shaped like cones. It had a huge sail on its back. A German scientist had found the


bones in the Sahara. He named the dinosaur Spinosaurus. Ibrahim thought his fossil and


the fossils in Italy might be from Spinosaurus. He needed more bones to prove it. So he returned to Morocco to find the fossil hunter.


On the Trail It was crazy. Ibrahim didn’t know the mysterious man’s name or address. He only knew that the man had a mustache and was wearing white clothing. Still, Ibrahim was determined to find him. Ibrahim returned to the small


town where he had met the hunter. He searched for days, but did not find him. Ibrahim’s dream to find Spinosaurus was slipping away. On his last day in Morocco,


Ibrahim was sitting in a café with two friends. Suddenly, a tall man walked by. T e man had a mustache. Ibrahim chased aſt er him. He caught up to him and looked at his face. It was the fossil hunter!


20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


Discovery! T e man listened to Ibrahim’s story and agreed to help. T e two men drove into the Sahara. T en the fossil hunter stopped their vehicle. T ey climbed a steep slope and came to a small cave. T is is where the fossil hunter had been digging. Ibrahim unpacked his special


tools. He gently picked away at some of the rocks. He quickly discovered several small bones. Ibrahim studied them and smiled. He had finally found Spinosaurus!


Building the Beast Ibrahim’s search for Spinosaurus was over. Yet his work was just beginning. Other fossils littered the area. Many belonged to predator dinosaurs. T at made Ibrahim wonder how Spinosaurus lived among them. To find out, he had to do an experiment. His method was to create a


model. He put together all the bones he’d found. Using a computer, he arranged the bones in their proper place. He made a skeleton and then covered it with a skin. T e completed model was amazing. It looked diff erent from all the dinosaurs he had ever seen.


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