The Spinosaurus aegyptiacus is one of the most famous dinosaur species, but over the past few years, its ferocious reputation has taken a nosedive, hence a series of viral memes about the creature getting "nerfed."

What's happening is, the Spinosaurus was believed to be a large land predator like the T-rex, but recent scientific discoveries have revealed that the creature's build might not have been so elite after all.

Experts now believe that the dino more resembled an elephant seal. In paleontology meme circles, the new, blubbery Spinosaurus is often called "Spinofaarus."

TikTok has recently been filled with angry (but funny) reactions to the creature's new updates, but where did they start? Where did the "Spinosaurus Nerf" meme come from and what is "Spinofaarus?" Let's explain.

How Has Spinosaurus Been 'Nerfed?'

Spinosaurus fossils were first discovered in Egypt in 1912. Early diagrams from the 1930s imagined it in large detail, towering over humans, like a Tyrannosaurus rex with an exaggerated spine.

The creature was notably depicted in the third Jurassic Park film, in which it defeats the dreaded T-rex, proving its power in the cinematic universe.

The Spinosaurus grew somewhat of a fandom online. Kids who grew up with dinosaur books and media often chose it as their favorite. People built their early personalities around the creature, which continued into their adult lives.

So, when paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim published an academic paper called "Semiaquatic adaptations in a giant predatory dinosaur" in 2014, it shocked said fans. Ibrahim argued that the Spinosaurus was at least partly aquatic with short legs, not nearly as tall as the T-rex.

The Spinosaurus's awesome image took another hit in 2020 when Ibrahim and his colleagues published a new paper suggesting that Spinosaurus was aquatic and powered by a predatory tail.

The once great and mighty Spinosaurus was now neutered, or "nerfed" in internet slang. "Nerfed" is a term for reducing a video game character's power via a patch or another update.

Where Does 'Spinofaarus' Come From?

Before Nizar Ibrahim's groundbreaking discoveries, two DeviantArt users accidentally predicted the downfall of Spinosaurus's physique.

Rodrigo-Vega was the first, who shared a speculative evolution depiction of Spinosaurus, showing it hunting fish and living on land, like an elephant seal or something. The dino also had a long nose like an elephant seal.

A few months later, user yoult added to the ridiculousness. Their drawing, titled, "Spinofaarus vegatiacus," was meant to be a gag.

"Spinofaarus shall just show how far we can get from Science if we let our minds float in totally evidenceless speculations and inadequate comparisons," they wrote in the image's caption. The creature was hilariously chubby and bloated, almost entirely removed from its former edge.

What Are Some 'Spinosaurus Nerf' Memes?

Back in 2020, when paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim dropped his second paper, the dinosaur community online ruptured into meme-making. They couldn't believe how they massacred their boy, grasping for any sense of reality through jokes and humor.

Recently, new memes about Spinosaurus getting nerfed have surfaced online. In many of them, Spinosaurus is compared to the T-rex who, alternatively, has been "buffed" by the scientific world.

"Spinosaurus fans after getting another update about how it was actually armless, legless, blind, deaf and had testicular cancer. Meanwhile, T-rex was just confirmed it can go Super Saiyan," chimed one viral TikTok meme.

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For the full history of Spinofaarus and the Spinosaurus Nerf, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.