Eocarcharia

Eocarcharia (meaning "dawn shark") is a genus of carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation that lived in the Sahara 112 million years ago, in what today is the country of Niger. It was discovered in 2000 on an expedition led by University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno. The type and only species is Eocarcharia dinops.[1] Its teeth were shaped like blades and were used for disabling live prey and ripping apart body parts. Eocarcharia’s brow is swollen into a massive band of bone, giving it a menacing glare[2] (leading to the specific name dinops or "fierce-eyed"). It may have reached lengths of 6–8 m (19.7–26.2 ft).[1]

Eocarcharia
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 112 Ma
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: †Carcharodontosauridae
Genus: †Eocarcharia
Sereno & Brusatte, 2008
Type species
†Eocarcharia dinops
Sereno and Brusatte, 2008
Maxilla
Relative size of Eocarcharia MNN-GAD2-11 and a human, based on Acrocanthosaurus and Concavenator

Paleoecology

In the Elrhaz Formation, dinosaurs that lived with Eocarcharia include theropods Kryptops palaios and Suchomimus tenerensis, sauropod Nigersaurus taqueti, and ornithopods Ouranosaurus nigeriensis, Lurdusaurus arenatus, and Elrhazosaurus nigeriensis.[1]









References
  1. Sereno, Paul C.; Brusatte, Stephen L. (2008). "Basal abelisaurid and carcharodontosaurid theropods from the Lower Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation of Niger" (pdf). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 53 (1): 15–46. doi:10.4202/app.2008.0102.
  2. New Meat-eating Dinosaur Duo from Sahara Unveiled Newswise, Retrieved on September 21, 2008.


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