Carcharodontosaurus
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What is Carcharodontosaurus?
Carcharodontosaurus is a genus of massive, predatory theropod dinosaurs that lived in North Africa during the late Cretaceous Period, roughly 99 to 94 million years ago. The name Carcharodontosaurus comes from Greek, meaning "sharp-toothed, or shark-toothed, lizard".
Measuring up to 13.7 meters (45 feet) long, Carcharodontosaurus is among the largest land-dwelling carnivores in Earth’s history. Its jaws held approximately 60 large, serrated teeth, some as long as 15 cm (6 inches). Carcharodontosaurus likely walked on two legs and preyed on large, herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs.
The first Carcharodontosaurus fossils were found in Egypt in the early 20th century by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach. These fossils were destroyed during a World War II bombing raid in 1944. In 1995, a skull found in Morocco by American paleontologist Paul Sereno was matched to Reichenbach's descriptions, solving the mystery of the original fossils. The genus has two species: C. saharicus and C. iguidensis.
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When and where did Carcharodontosaurus live?
Carcharodontosaurus lived in North Africa during the late Cretaceous Period, specifically the Cenomanian Age, around 99 to 94 million years ago. Fossil evidence of Carcharodontosaurus saharicus has been discovered in present-day Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, while C. iguidensis fossils were found in Niger. These massive, predatory dinosaurs were among the largest land-dwelling carnivores, reaching lengths of up to 13.7 meters (45 feet). The name Carcharodontosaurus means "sharp-toothed, or shark-toothed, lizard".
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What did Carcharodontosaurus look like?
Carcharodontosaurus, meaning "sharp-toothed, or shark-toothed, lizard," was a massive, bipedal, predatory dinosaur that lived in North Africa during the late Cretaceous Period, approximately 99–94 million years ago.
Based on the size of discovered skulls, paleontologists estimate that C. saharicus likely grew to 13.7 meters (45 feet) or more, weighing about 6 metric tons (6.6 short tons). The skull of C. iguidensis measured 1.75 meters (5.7 feet) long, with the dinosaur’s total length being an estimated 13–14 meters (42–46 feet). Like other theropods, its jaws contained large, serrated teeth, with approximately 60 teeth, many up to 15 cm (6 inches) long.
Some studies suggest that Carcharodontosaurus's forelimbs may have been small compared to its hind legs, similar to Tyrannosaurus rex.
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What kind of food did Carcharodontosaurus eat?
Carcharodontosaurus was a massive, predatory dinosaur that lived in North Africa during the late Cretaceous Period, approximately 99 to 94 million years ago. Its name means "sharp-toothed, or shark-toothed, lizard".
Paleontologists suggest that Carcharodontosaurus likely preyed on large, herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs. Carcharodontosaurus likely walked on its two hind limbs. Estimates suggest that Carcharodontosaurus had around 60 teeth, with some being as long as 15 cm (6 inches) and serrated.
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How big was Carcharodontosaurus compared to other dinosaurs?
Carcharodontosaurus, meaning "sharp-toothed lizard," was a massive, predatory dinosaur that lived in North Africa during the late Cretaceous Period, about 99 to 94 million years ago. It was one of the largest land-dwelling carnivores in Earth’s history, reaching lengths of up to 13.7 meters (45 feet).
When compared to other large theropods:
- Carcharodontosaurus was similar in size to Tyrannosaurus rex and Giganotosaurus.
- Estimates suggest Carcharodontosaurus weighed around 6 metric tons (6.6 short tons).
- Giganotosaurus could reach 12–13 meters (40–43 feet) in length, 7 meters (23 feet) in height and weigh 7,000–8,000 kg (15,400–17,600 pounds), with some possibly weighing up to 14,000 kg (30,800 pounds).
- Spinosaurus, which lived in North Africa around the same time as Giganotosaurus, was longer, measuring about 14–18 meters (46–59 feet).
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What makes Carcharodontosaurus an important dinosaur for scientists to study?
Carcharodontosaurus is an important dinosaur for scientists to study because it is among the largest land-dwelling carnivores in Earth's history. Its fossils, first discovered in the early 20th century, were lost during a WWII bombing, creating a mystery until a matching skull was found in Morocco in 1995. Carcharodontosaurus likely grew to be approximately 45 feet long, and weighed around 6 metric tons. Studies of its skull and teeth suggest it was a predator that likely fed on large, herbivorous sauropods. The discovery and study of Carcharodontosaurus fossils provide valuable insights into the evolution, size, and predatory behavior of theropod dinosaurs during the late Cretaceous Period.
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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 dinosaurs—and the suborder Theropoda. It is among the largest land-dwelling carnivores in Earth’s history, with the dinosaur’s length estimated to be as much as 13.7 meters (45 feet). The genus, which is classified in the family Carcharodontosauridae, is made up of two species: Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, whose fossils were found in present-day Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and C. iguidensis, whose fossils were unearthed in present-day Niger. The name Carcharodontosaurus, deriving from Greek roots, means “sharp-toothed, or shark-toothed, lizard.”
Form and function
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.
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Discoveries
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 Historical Geology in Munich. During World War II the specimens were destroyed during a bombing run conducted by the Royal Air Force in 1944. The event created a long-standing mystery for modern paleontologists: left with only a description of the fossils in outdated scientific literature, scientists had no clue as to which dinosaur species they belonged to. The mystery was not solved until 1995, when American paleontologist Paul Sereno and his team uncovered a skull of Carcharodontosaurus from the Kem Kem region of the Sahara in Morocco, which they subsequently matched to the descriptions given by Reichenbach in the scientific literature. This specimen and others excavated from Algeria and Tunisia were assigned to the species C. saharicus. Later, Carcharodontosaurus fossils unearthed in Niger and first described in 2009 by American paleontologist Stephen Brusatte were assigned to C. iguidensis on the basis of differences in skull structure between the specimen and C. saharicus.