The skull, which is as large as an adult person, discovered in Africa's Sahara Desert, has a long reptile-like jaw, full of pointy teeth the size of a human hand, and an enlarged snout eerily similar to the crocodile.

The skull featured a giant curved horn above the eyes and spikes that protruded from the back of the head, making the animal look like the flying creatures in ancient legends worldwide.

Discovered by a team from the University of Chicago, the newly found species has been named Spinosaurus mirabilis, meaning 'astonishing spined lizard.'

This massive predator lived roughly 95 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, when scientists believe the Sahara was a lush, forested area containing rivers and inland waterways hundreds of miles from the ancient oceans.

Spinosaurus mirabilis, also known as the 'hell heron,' is estimated to have been around 40 feet long and weighed between 10,000 and 14,000 pounds. The fossils suggest it could stand in water up to seven feet deep as it fished for food.  

Researchers believe the dragon-like creature was actually from a dinosaur family known as Spinosaurids, which all shared these crocodile-like features, a large hump or sail-like structure along their spines, and the ability to walk on two massive back legs with two shorter limbs in the front.

This particular species of Spinosaurus had a 20-inch-tall bone sweeping up from between its eyes, which the team compared to a curved sword known as a scimitar.

However, the reconstruction of the beast's huge skull, with a long jaw full of interlocking teeth and the curved, sword-shaped bony crest, has revealed a creature that looks identical to mythical depictions of a ferocious fire-breathing dragon.

'That's definitely a dragon head,' one person declared online. 'Just say it's a dragon already,' another commenter added.

Scientists and museums have continued to claim that dragons, the winged dinosaur-like creatures seen in shows such as Game of Thrones, never existed, and stories about them were likely referencing sightings of large reptiles.

In fact, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis even claims on their website: 'There's simply no evidence in nature or the fossil record to suggest it ever happened.'

Officially, University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno and his team believe the creature is a member of the spinosaurid family.

These were large, meat-eating dinosaurs that likely lived between 95 and 130 million years ago, and were best known for including the famous Spinosaurus, known by dinosaur fans for its signature crocodile-shape head and giant sail on its back.