The spinosaurs – the controversial group that includes the largest land predator of all time, the awe-inspiring Spinosaurus – are brought to life in this remarkable and cutting-edge review of their biology and ecology.

The giant sail-backed carnivorous dinosaur Spinosaurus is one of the most famous dinosaurs – a staple of documentaries, books and games, and one that bested the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex in Jurassic Park III. But what do we actually know about this crocodile-headed monster and its relatives, the spinosaurs?

What we can say is that the spinosaurs include some of the strangest-looking of all dinosaurs, combining a long low skull with a crest along the spine that extended into a huge sail, a fin-like tail, and massively clawed hands. Yet there is a great deal of mystery surrounding these animals. Their remains are highly fragmentary, many aspects of their appearance are uncertain, their evolutionary relationships are elusive, and there are profoundly different competing interpretations of their ecology and behaviour.

Spinosaur Tales explores what is known about the spinosaurs and what isn’t. Bringing these creatures back to life with stunning illustrations, world-renowned palaeontologists David Hone, author of The Tyrannosaur Chronicles, and Mark P. Witton look at the latest theories on how these mighty beasts lived, fed, bred and died.