DescriptionCarcharodontosaurus saharicus theropod dinosaur (Kem Kem beds, Upper Cretaceous; Gara es Sbaa, Kem Kem region, southeastern Morocco) 3 (15375691822).jpg |
Carcharodontosaurus saharicus (Depéret & Savornin, 1927) theropod dinosaur (reconstructed skull, ~1.6 meters long) from the Cretaceous of Morocco.
Carcharodontosaurus saharicus (Depéret & Savornin, 1927) is a famous theropod dinosaur from Africa. The species is known principally from a near-complete cranium plus pelvis material, upper & lower leg bones, toes, and some ribs & vertebrae. Remains have been reported from several localities in northern Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Niger, Sudan, and Egypt). The best fossil specimen is a ~complete cranium found by Paul Sereno (University of Chicago). Carcharodontosaurus is inferred to have had a body size close to that of Tyrannosaurus rex.
This reconstructed skull is based on the near-complete cranium SGM-Din 1 (Geological Survey of Morocco's dinosaur collection).
Classification: Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda, Allosauroidea, Carcharodontosauridae
Stratigraphy: nonmarine deltaic sandstones, upper Kem Kem beds, Cenomanian Stage, lower Upper Cretaceous (93-99 Ma)
Locality: Gara es Sbaa, Kem Kem region, southeastern Morocco, northwestern Africa
Theropod were small to large, bipedal dinosaurs. Almost all known members of the group were carnivorous (predators and/or scavengers). They represent the ancestral group to the birds, and some theropods are known to have had feathers. Some of the most well known dinosaurs to the general public are theropods, such as Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus, and Spinosaurus.
Most info. from:
Sereno, P.C., D.B. Dutheil, M. Iarochene, H.C.E. Larsson, G.H. Lyon, P.M. Magwene, C.A. Sidor, D.J. Varricchio & J.A. Wilson. 1996. Predatory dinosaurs from the Sahara and Late Cretaceous faunal differentiation. Science 272: 986-991. |