Is The Spinosaurus In Jurassic World Dominion?

Dinosaurs have always been the main attraction of the "Jurassic Park" movies — in fact, one could definitely say that these creatures are the DNA of the franchise. After all, the original "Jurassic Park" centers around the notion of these modern-day dinosaurs being created through blood-sucking insects trapped in amber, and while this scientific tampering leads to messy results, it also spawned five sequels.

Each "Jurassic Park" movie to date, as if by decree, has introduced new dinosaurs, with the franchise as a whole having featured over 40 different species of dinosaurs, including the likes of Velociraptors, Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Mosasaurus, and Dilophosaurus, to name a few. Now that "Jurassic World Dominion" is slamming into theaters like an asteroid from the past, fans are getting ready to see what new prehistoric beasts are on the loose. But the real question is whether or not the Spinosaurus, the dinosaur that trounced a Tyrannosaurus in less than 30 seconds in "Jurassic Park III," is in "Jurassic World Dominion."

Although there are numerous dinosaurs in the "Jurassic Park" stable, it seems as if the one forgotten dinosaur that many are clamoring to see again is the Spinosaurus, first introduced as a bigger, badder predator than the previous king, the Tyrannosaurus rex. In the weeks before the film's release, u/Logical-Block-6021 pleaded, "I need to know if Spinosaurus is in JWD before [I] get a headache."

This question elicited several responses, with u/Borussiemk7 noting that the director of "Jurassic World Dominion" said that he didn't want a Spinosaurus in the film for fear that it would overshadow the Tyrannosaurus rex, adding, "But one of the most discussed topics about Dominion is whether the Spino is in it or not....the popularity is at an all[-]time high...so they decided to put it in 'Camp Creteceous' [sic] to satisfy the fans who want to see it back again. Let's see maybe the next 'Jurassic' [f]ilm will have the Spinosaurus as the main dino...this hype now will help it."

Redditor u/1random_redditor replied, saying that it would be nice if the Spinosaurus were to make a cameo in "Jurassic World Dominion," and didn't understand the reluctance to utilize the fearsome dinosaur once again. Redditor u/AlfalfaPossible also said they would enjoy a Spinosaurus cameo but are keeping their expectations about an appearance in "Jurassic World Dominion" realistic and would simply accept an Easter egg inspired by the aforementioned dinosaur. Now that "Jurassic World Dominion" is out, the question and speculation can finally come to an end.

According to Britannica, the Spinosaurus was discovered in 1915 and roamed an area in present-day North Africa around 100 to 94 million years ago. Considered to be the largest carnivorous dinosaur, even bigger than the vaunted Tyrannosaurus, the Spinosaurus had a six-foot-long skull, could measure 46 to 59 feet long, and weighed between 13 and 22 tons. Spinosaurus means "spined reptile," so named for its distinctive fin along the back. Later studies have recast the beast as a water-adjacent creature well suited for an aquatic lifestyle (via ScienceDirect).

The Spinosaurus has earned a dedicated fan base among "Jurassic Park" fans, at least considering the above fan chatter. Oddly enough, when the Spinosaurus was first introduced, fans were unhappy with the dinosaur, as highlighted by comments on Dinosaur Home, but much like the recent discoveries surrounding Spinosaurus, it seems as if fans were willing to take a second look.

Unfortunately, as reported by Fossilera, the Spinosaurus is not in "Jurassic World Dominion," although it does appear in "Camp Cretaceous," an animated series on Netflix, where it acts as a major antagonist of the stranded teens. Still, there are plenty of other fearsome dinosaurs to fawn over in "Jurassic World Dominion," and perhaps the addition of the Giganotosaurus will help fill that Spinosaurus-shaped hole in the collective hearts of fans.