Field Museum’s newest dinosaur crowned ‘Sobek’

The museum’s cast of Sobek the Spinosaurus, the world’s largest predatory dinosaur, is the only one displayed in the Western Hemisphere. Spinosauruses were bigger and longer than T rex. (Michelle Kuo/Field Museum)

In ancient Egyptian folklore, Sobek was a crocodile-headed god who symbolized strength and abundance, protecting the waters of the Nile River and shielding pharaohs from evil forces.

Now, after an online vote that drew more than 31,000 votes, the name Sobek has been chosen for the Field Museum’s Spinosaurus, its newest fossil cast.