Brazilian dinosaur 'cried' to survive; understand why

A new study suggests that some semi-aquatic dinosaurs, such as Spinosaurus, could "cry salty tears" to eliminate excess salt from their bodies.

The research, published in the journal Historical Biology, analyzed fossils of different species of spinosaurids and found evidence of possible salt glands located above the eyes - a structure similar to that currently present in seabirds, crocodiles and other animals adapted to saline environments.

According to researchers, these glands would help animals survive in brackish water regions, such as estuaries and swampy areas.

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Scientists analyzed fossils of species such as Baryonyx walkeri, from the United Kingdom, Irritator challengeri, from Brazil, and different species of Spinosaurus found in Morocco.

237-million-year-old reptile fossil is discovered in RS | CNN NEW DAY

With the help of high-resolution photographs, tomography scans and detailed analyzes of the fossils, the researchers identified bone depressions above the eye sockets, which may have served to house the glands and blood vessels linked to salt filtration.

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The study reignites an old debate among paleontologists about the lifestyle of Spinosaurus.

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Discoveries 2026 (10) - Researchers discovered in a quarry in southern China, a collection of fossils around 512 million years old. The discovery contains 153 species, from 16 different groups, at least 59% of the new animals are of unknown origin and have not been cataloged by humans until now - Han Zeng

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Discoveries 2026 (11) - A group of paleontologists from UFSM (Federal University of Santa Maria) published a study on the discovery of a new reptile species from a 240 million year old fossil. The fossil skull measuring just 9.5 millimeters, found in the municipality of Novo Cabrais, in the interior of RS, revealed a new species of parareptile. Paleontologists named it Sauropia macrorhinus - Illustration by Caetano Soares/UFM

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Discoveries 2026 (25) - The first pelycosaur fossils in Brazil were found in the interior of Piauí by a team coordinated by professor at the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI), Juan Carlos Cisneros. The discovery was disclosed in an article published in the scientific journal Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology - Archive/ Juan Carlos Cisneros

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Discoveries 2026 (26) - Paleontologists have identified a new species of large prehistoric marine reptile, which lived in the oceans about 70 million years ago. The animal, called Pluridens imelaki, was discovered in fossil deposits in Morocco - Diversity

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- Chase Stone

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Discoveries 2026 (28) - Brazilian scientists have identified a new species of giant dinosaur with links to a similar animal found in Spain, reinforcing the knowledge that land routes connected parts of South America, Africa and Europe around 120 million years ago. Named Dasosaurus tocantinensis, the species is one of the largest found in the South American country - Reproduction

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Discoveries 2026 (29) - One of the three missing pages of Archimedes' Palimpsest manuscript, written in the 10th century, was found in the Museum of Fine Arts in Blois, located in central France. The discovery was made by Victor Gysembergh, a researcher at the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research) at the Léon Robin Center for Research into Ancient Thought - National Center for Scientific Research

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Discoveries 2026 (30) - A fossilized skull and jaw found in Niger belonged to a creature that had a large bony crest on the top of its head and lived about 95 million years ago. Named Spinosaurus mirabilis, it is the first species of Spinosaurus to be identified in more than a century - Dani Navarro/University of Chicago

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Discoveries 2026 (31) - Gough's Cave dog jaw (14,300 years old) in side view. Dogs have been loyal companions to humans since we made them our first domesticated animals, long ago descended from gray wolves - although the exact when, where and why remain unanswered. New genetic research is now offering valuable information, including the identification of the oldest known dog, dating back to 15,800 years ago - The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

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Discoveries 2026 (32) - A remarkable collection of fossils from China is revealing that animal life diversified in Earth's primordial seas millions of years earlier than previously thought, into a variety of forms, including ancient members of a group that eventually gave rise to vertebrates, including humans. Paleontologists have unearthed nearly 700 fossils of small, soft-bodied animals that lived approximately 546 to 539 million years ago during the Ediacaran Period, revealing a drastic transformation in animal life at the time. Many of them are strange and hardly recognizable as animals to a layman - Xiaodong Wang Disclosure

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Discoveries 2026 (34) - Researchers from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), in Brazil, have identified a new species of 230-million-year-old reptile with a beak similar to that of a parrot, discovered in the state of Rio Grande do Sul - Reuters

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Discoveries 2026 (35) - Researchers studying a 250-million-year-old fossil have found the first evidence that the ancestors of mammals laid eggs, and the discovery also sheds light on a remarkable story of survival.

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Discoveries 2026 (37) - Giant octopuses, which measured up to 19 meters in length, were among the top ocean predators around 100 million years ago, according to new research that discovered rare fossils hidden in solid rocks. A study published in the journal Science reports that remarkably well-preserved specimens of octopuses' powerful jaws show signs of intense wear caused by grinding hard prey, including shells and bones - Yohei Utsuki/Hokkaido University

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Discoveries 2026 (38) - Archaeologists working in the ancient city of Oxirrinco, in Egypt, unearthed a mummy with a passage from Homer's "Iliad" attached to its abdomen, in an unprecedented discovery - Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

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Some scientists believe that the animal spent much of its life in the water, swimming and diving in search of fish. Others argue that it lived mainly on land, hunting on riverbanks and shallow areas.

Anatomical characteristics, such as a snout similar to that of crocodiles, teeth adapted to capture slippery prey and a tail shaped to aid swimming, reinforce the hypothesis of semi-aquatic behavior.

According to the authors, the discovery of possible salt glands may indicate that these dinosaurs were better adapted to aquatic environments than previously imagined.

Source: CNN