Eocarcharia
Eocarcharia was a fierce meat-eating dinosaur that lived about 110 million years ago. It had blade-shaped teeth and a thick bony eyebrow above its eyes, which made it look very scary. This predator was one of the early giant hunters of its time.21
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at the hips
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Fun facts
Eocarcharia belongs to a group called carcharodontosaurids, which means 'shark-toothed lizards' because of their sharp, serrated teeth.1
Its name comes from Greek words meaning 'dawn shark', because it was an early member of the shark-toothed dinosaur family.1
The dinosaur had a thick, bumpy bony ridge above its eyes, which scientists call a 'brow boss'. This might have been used for display or fighting.1
Eocarcharia lived alongside other dinosaurs like the spinosaurid Suchomimus and the abelisaurid Kryptops in what is now the Sahara Desert.1
Its fossils were found in the Elrhaz Formation of Niger, which was once a river environment with many different animals.1
Scientists think Eocarcharia was about 7.6 metres (25 feet) long and stood about 1.8 metres (6 feet) tall at the hips.2
Eocarcharia is one of the oldest known carcharodontosaurids, along with relatives like Acrocanthosaurus from North America.1
Most asked questions about Eocarcharia
?How big was Eocarcharia?
About 6 to 8 metres (20 to 26 feet) long. That is about half the size of its bigger relatives like Giganotosaurus.42
?What did Eocarcharia eat?
It ate meat. Its blade shaped teeth were designed for hunting prey.2
?Why did Eocarcharia have a bony eyebrow?
The thick, bumpy bony ridge above its eyes might have been used for display or head-butting with other Eocarcharia. It may have been covered in keratin.4
?Is Eocarcharia a dinosaur?
Yes, it is a theropod dinosaur, a meat-eating dinosaur that walked on two legs.4
?When did Eocarcharia live?
It lived about 110 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period.2
?Where was Eocarcharia found?
Its fossils were found in the Elrhaz Formation of Niger, in the Sahara Desert. That area was once a river environment.4
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Eocarcharia
- Named by
- Sereno and Brusatte 20085
- Group
- Meat-eating dinos
- Family / clade
- Carcharodontosauridae5
- Classification
- Theropoda > Allosauroidea > Carcharodontosauridae5
- Age of the rocks
- 121 to 100 million years (Aptian / Albian)5
- Rock formations
- Elrhaz5
- Countries
- Niger5
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Discovery
- Eocarcharia was named by paleontologists Paul Sereno and Stephen Brusatte in 2008. They found its skull bones and teeth in the Ténéré Desert of Niger, Africa.31
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly how big Eocarcharia grew, because only skull bones and teeth have been found so far.1
Where the facts come from
- Basal abelisaurid and carcharodontosaurid theropods from the Lower Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation of Niger (dinodata.de)
- Discoveries | Paul Sereno - Paleontologist | The University of Chicago (paulsereno.uchicago.edu)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Eocarcharia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Eocarcharia in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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