Thank you Caldey for sending into Everything Dinosaur your illustration of the “Surviving Earth” Spinosaurus hatchlings.  The renowned palaeoartist Gabriel Ugueto produced concept art for this new eight-part television series. We have been lucky enough to see some of his remarkable illustrations including the hatchling Spinosaurus drawings.  Caldey’s drawing faithfully recreates the scene featuring the pair of recently hatched spinosaurs.

Whilst there have been lots of artwork featuring adult spinosaurids, illustrations of babies are relatively rare.  Caldey has captured these cute siblings complete with their insulating coats of “dino fuzz” feathers.  As hatchlings, their small body size would make them vulnerable to chills.  When fully grown, losing body heat might be more of a problem.

A beautiful illustration of two baby Spinosaurus complete with their insulating “dino fuzz”. The drawing was inspired by a scene from the forthcoming television documentary series “Surviving Earth”. Picture credit: Caldey.

Picture credit: Caldey

Smaller animals such as baby dinosaurs have a high surface area to volume ratio. This can cause problems with maintaining body temperature as heat can be lost from the body. Adult animals, especially dinosaurs like Spinosaurus that reached lengths in excess of ten metres have a different problem. Larger animals have a lower surface area to volume ration. They retain heat more efficiently. However, they might struggle to lose excess heat in warm environments. Perhaps that huge sail on the back of Spinosaurus played a role in thermoregulation.

The “Surviving Earth” Spinosaurus Illustration

The “Surviving Earth” Spinosaurus artwork highlights how views regarding large theropod dinosaurs have changed.  In addition, if we compare this illustration with a drawing of an adult Spinosaurus sent in by Caldey a few years ago, we can observe that the artist’s style has matured. The picture (below) is of a drawing of an adult Spinosaurus by Caldey (May, 2020).

Comparing the two dinosaur drawings created six years apart highlights a remarkable development in artistic ability and confidence. The most recent artwork demonstrates a much stronger understanding of perspective, greater attention to proportion and detail, and a clear maturity in both technique and creative expression.

Our congratulations to you Caldey.

An illustration of a swimming Spinosaurus (May 2020). The species is Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. Picture credit: Caldey.

Picture credit: Caldey

The “Surviving Earth” Documentary Series

“Surviving Earth” has attracted a lot of interest. It is an eight-part prehistoric documentary series that starts next month (June 2026). Created by Tim Haines (Walking with Dinosaurs), it focuses on mass extinction events and how life on Earth has bounced back from catastrophe.  Viewers can expect plenty of dinosaurs.  Moreover, lots of lesser well known prehistoric taxa too.

We think that the Spinosaurus hatchlings will feature in episode four. This episode is entitled “When the Seas Died”.   This programme focuses upon the Cenomanian–Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE 2).  During the early Late Cretaceous (approximately ninety-four-million years ago), a global extinction event took place. It was probably caused by widespread oxygen depletion in the oceans that led to significant marine biodiversity losses and dramatic environmental change.

In addition, rising sea levels led to marine transgression and the loss of coastal habitats. These factors may have contributed to the demise and eventual extinction of the Spinosauridae. Although direct evidence linking their extinction to the OAE 2 remains limited, dramatic environmental changes, rising sea levels, disrupted coastal ecosystems, and altered food chains may have contributed to the decline and eventual extinction of these specialised semi-aquatic predators.

To read a recent article about the discovery of a new Spinosaurus species: A New Scimitar-crested Spinosaurus is Described.

Mike from Everything Dinosaur praised Caldey’s illustration of hatchling spinosaurids and stated:

“Congratulations Caldey!  Caldey has created a wonderfully confident and imaginative drawing of hatchling spinosaurids, capturing both movement and personality with impressive skill. Her growing understanding of perspective, composition, and anatomical detail brings real energy and maturity to the artwork.”