Ceratosuchops

Ceratosuchops (left) and Riparovenator (right) share a flooded floodplain. Credit: Anthony Hutchings.

## Statistics

### Diet

Carnivorous

*Ceratosuchops* is an extinct genus of baryonychine spinosaurus that lived in England during the Early Cretaceous.

## History

*Ceratosuchops* is represented by fragmentary crania discovered between 2013 and 2017 from the Isle of Wight. These were named by Barker et al. (2021). These remains were found on the southwest coast of the near-beach-level Chilton Chine. A braincase, rostral tip and assorted crania were found in foreshore sandstone blocks. The stratigraphic details are unknown, so it is unknown how close it was to *Riparovenator*, which it was named alongside. These alongside the remains of the latter are held at the Dinosaur Isle Museum. The specific epithet means "hell heron", after its presumed paleoecology.

## Description

*Ceratosuchops* bears many diagnostic features preserved in 3D and scanned with 3D Replicate for easy handling. The authors studied it assuming *Suchomimus* is distinct from *Baryonyx*. The authors rigorously compared two specimens, splitting the *Ceratosuchops* remains with *Riparovenator*. However, they leave open the possibility that both taxa may represent ontogenetic stages, but spinosaurus data on this topic is lacking so nothing can be confirmed. It represents a degree in variation so large a new taxon was erected. It is similar in size and skeletal fusion to the *Baryonyx* holotype.

Bony tuberosities on the sides of the nostrils and deep hollowed depressions at the posterior of the braincase differentiate the taxon. Additionally, large rugose surfaces around the eyes probably supported bosses in life and muscle anchors to the rear of the skull that are more robust and prominent than any baryonychine.

## Paleobiology

Published in 2023; spinosaurid subfamilies, especially representatives of Baryonychinae, suggests that the brain structure and endocast shows no marked differences from any other common theropod; this may suggest similar behavior.

## Classification

Ceratosuchops sits in Ceratosuchopsini, a new clade within Baryonychinae, grouped with *Suchomimus*. When all combined the recovered phylogeny finds spinosaurs to be ancestrally European.

## Paleoecology

All Wealden baroynychines are sympatric; *Baryonyx*, *Riparovenator* and *Ceratosuchops*. It may be Barremian-aged, but none of these animals are from the same horizon and *Baryonyx* is from a different sedimentary basin. They find similar sympatric relations to not be abnormal. *Ceratosuchops* may have handled and/or processed food differently, as suggested by its different features. These may help decipher the lifestyles of *Spinosaurus* and other spinosaurids.

*Ceratosuchops* is estimated to be ~7.8 meters (25.6 feet) long based on the skeletal produced by Dan Folkes for the naming paper. I lived in a dry Mediterranean environment in the modern Wessex Formation. Rivers were home to riparian zones, and like most spinosaurs, feeding on small/medium sized aquatic and terrestrial prey.

*Ceratosuchops* would have fed similar to herons, wading in a body of water, plunging down to catch prey; if probably did something similar on land. They were generalists. *Ceratosuchops* was able to quickly strikes in order to seize its prey, just as herons do.

## Gallery

A basic baryonychine skull used by the research team during their press events, created by Andrew Cocks.A skull roof bone.**Credit: Anthony Hutchings.****Credit: @MatthewBCowen on Twitter.**
## References

1. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36781174/
2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4qw545E6C0
3. ↑ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joa.13837
4. ↑ https://blog.everythingdinosaur.com/blog/\_archives/2023/02/14/spinosaurs-modified-skulls-but-conservative-brains.html
5. ↑ https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/979404
6. ↑ https://tetzoo.com/blog/2021/9/27/two-new-spinosaurid-dinosaurs-from-the-english-cretaceous
7. ↑ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97870-8
8. ↑ https://www.sciencealert.com/enigmatic-fossils-from-the-isle-of-wight-reveal-2-new-predatory-dinosaurs
9. ↑ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2291743-hell-heron-dinosaur-is-new-species-found-on-isle-of-wight/
10. ↑ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2291743-hell-heron-dinosaur-is-new-species-found-on-isle-of-wight/
11. ↑ https://kesq.com/news/2021/09/29/horned-crocodile-faced-hell-heron-is-one-of-two-new-isle-of-wight-dinosaur-discoveries/
12. ↑ https://t.co/nZUhLk0UAL?amp=1