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Carcharodontosaurus is one of the largest theropod dinosaurs known, with C. saharicus reaching 12–12.5 metres (39–41 ft) in length and approximately 5–7 metric tons (5.5–7.7 short tons) in body mass. It had a large, lightly built skull with a triangular rostrum.
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Carcharodontosaurus, (genus Carcharodontosaurus), genus of massive predatory dinosaurs that inhabited North Africa approximately 99–94 million years ago during the Cenomanian Age (100.5 to 93.9 million years ago) of the late Cretaceous Period (145 to 66 million years ago). Carcharodontosaurus belongs to the order Saurischia—the lizard-hipped dinosa...
Estimates of the body dimensions of C. saharicus and C. iguidensis have been made from fossil teeth, incomplete skulls, and other bone fragments. Based on calculations stemming from the size of the massive skull of C. saharicus, which measured approximately 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) long, paleontologists estimate that the species probably grew to a length of 13.7 meters (45 feet) or more. Model estimates of body mass, which were based on the dimensions of other similarly sized theropods, suggest that C. saharicus weighed roughly 6 metric tons (6.6 short tons). Similarly, the fossil skull of C. iguidensis measured 1.75 meters (5.7 feet) long, which allowed the dinosaur’s total length to be estimated at 13–14 meters (42–46 feet). Like those of other theropods of comparable size, such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Giganotosaurus, the jaws of Carcharodontosaurus contained several large teeth. Estimates suggest that Carcharodontosaurus had approximately 60 teeth, many of which were as long as 15 cm (6 inches) and serrated.
Carcharodontosaurus was most likely a bipedal dinosaur, meaning that it stood upright and walked or ran on its two hind limbs. The morphology of the dinosaur’s skull and dentition suggest that it was a predator, and paleontologists hypothesize that it fed on large herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs. The characteristics of the rest of the dinosaur’s form remain speculative. Some studies, however, contend that the dinosaur’s forelimbs may have been small compared with its hind legs, like those of Tyrannosaurus rex; a 2022 study describing Meraxes gigas, a closely related carcharodontosaurid, noted its reduced forelimbs and suggested that the forelimbs of Carcharodontosaurus could have followed a similar evolutionary path.
The first fossil evidence of Carcharodontosaurus consisted of only several teeth and fragments of bone collected in Egypt by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach in the early 20th century. The fossils were described in the scientific literature at that time and then stored at the Bavarian State Collections of Paleontology and Histori...
- John P. Rafferty
- Bob Strauss
- Carcharodontosaurus Was Named After the Great White Shark. Around 1930, the famous German paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach discovered the partial skeleton of a meat-eating dinosaur in Egypt―on which he bestowed the name Carcharodontosaurus, "Great White Shark lizard," after its long, shark-like teeth.
- Carcharodontosaurus May (or May Not) Have Been Bigger Than T. Rex. Because of its limited fossil remains, Carcharodontosaurus is one of those dinosaurs whose length and weight is especially difficult to estimate.
- The Type Fossil of Carcharodontosaurus Was Destroyed in World War II. Not only human beings suffer the depredations of war: in 1944, the stored remains of Carcharodontosaurus (the ones discovered by Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach) were destroyed in an Allied raid on the German city of Munich.
- Carcharodontosaurus Was a Close Relative of Giganotosaurus. The biggest meat-eating dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era lived not in North America (sorry, T. Rex!)
May 17, 2024 · Carcharodontosaurus – Discover One Of The Worlds Largest Predatory Dinosaurs. May 17, 2024 by Active Wild Admin. Carcharodontosaurus, one of the most formidable predators of the mid-Cretaceous period, roamed North Africa approximately 100 to 93 million years ago. This massive theropod, whose name means "shark-toothed lizard," was named for ...
Carcharodontosaurus was a carcharodontosaurid theropod that lived in North Africa 99-94 million years ago. It had shark-like teeth and may have eaten large plant-eating dinosaurs.
Carcharodontosaurids include some of the largest land predators ever known: Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, and Tyrannotitan all rivaled Tyrannosaurus in size. Estimates give a maximum weight of 8–10 metric tons (8.8–11.0 short tons) for the largest carcharodontosaurids, while the smallest carcharodontosaurids were ...
Jul 2, 2023 · Learn about Carcharodontosaurus, a giant theropod dinosaur that lived in the Late Cretaceous period. Discover its name meaning, size, diet, fossil evidence, and how it hunted and adapted to its environment.
