The McCoy To Host National Geographic Live's SPINOSAURUS: LOST GIANT OF THE CRETACEOUS

National Geographic Live, National Geographic's touring speaker series, and the McCoy Center are proud to present "Sprinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous" with Nizar Ibrahim, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and paleontologist. Audiences will meet Spinosaurus, the largest predatory dinosaur yet discovered-larger than T. rex-and hear the incredible story of how this prehistoric giant was almost lost to science, before being brought back to light with help from contemporary scientists. With amazing video recreating the lost world of the Cretaceous-era Sahara, Ibrahim will tell the story of Spinosaurus' discovery, loss, and rediscovery, and explain what-other than its size- makes this ancient monster unique.

The McCoy Marquee Series presents National Geographic Live "Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous" at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts (100 W. Dublin-Granville Rd., New Albany) on Friday, October 19, at 7 pm. Tickets are $31.50 at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000.

German/Moroccan paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim, a postdoctoral scholar in vertebrate anatomy and paleontology at the University of Chicago and 2014 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, scours the deserts of North Africa for clues to life in the Cretaceous period when the area was a large river system teeming with a profusion of diverse life. In addition to unearthing many huge dinosaur bones, he has discovered fossil footprints and a new species of flying reptile with an 18-foot wingspan that lived 95 million years ago.

Ibrahim's remarkable story and the findings of an international team of scientists were just published in the journal Science and as a cover story for National Geographic magazine. What has been unveiled appears to be the first truly semiaquatic dinosaur, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus.

In 2014, Ibrahim was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and in 2015, he was named a TED fellow, the first paleontologist in the history of the program. His upcoming paper describing the ecosystem of what is now Morocco's Sahara Desert in the mid-Cretaceous period promises to be a milestone, providing the most detailed account of the diversity, paleoecology, and geologic context of fossil vertebrates from North Africa.

National Geographic Live is the live events division of National Geographic. With a broad roster of talent including renowned photographers, scientists, authors, filmmakers and adventurers, National Geographic Live's critically acclaimed programs have connected with audiences worldwide for over a century. Currently, National Geographic Live events are held in a variety of cities around the world, including, Seattle, Tampa, Los Angeles, Florence, and Calgary. In each of these cities, speakers share behind-the-scenes stories from the front lines of exploration onstage alongside stunning imagery and gripping footage.

For more information, visit natgeolive.com