Carcharodontosaurus (C. saharicus, "shark-toothed lizard") is an advanced Carnosauria, which is included within the Carcharodontosauridae family, and was a large carnivorous theropod whose size rivaled other large theropods such as Tyrannosaurus, Giganotosaurus or Spinosaurus. and that lived in the Lower Albian Cretaceous period to the Upper Turonian Cretaceous, with an estimated size of 13 meters long and a weight of between 6 - 8 tons.
The name Carcharodontosaurus is derived from the shark genus Carcharodon; the teeth, up to 20 cm long, are sharp and toothed similar to great white sharks, something which meant they could cut through the flesh of their prey like sharp knives, plus their front legs had sharp claws, like great hooks, to support its victims while it destroyed them with its jaws; and also, like all good hunters, they had two-dimensional vision.
This genus of large predatory dinosaurs was one of the greatest hunters of the Mesozoic.
Carcharodontosaurus hunted large herbivores such as sauropods, and is also known to have fed on other smaller carnivorous dinosaurs.
The Carcharodontosaurus lived in what is now North Africa, specifically in the region that corresponds to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Its habitat was that of a coastal plain with varied vegetation, including palm trees, conifers, and ferns. It shared this ecosystem with other large dinosaurs, as well as other smaller predators.
The disappearance of Carcharodontosaurus and other large dinosaurs occurred about 93 million years ago, during the transition from the Cretaceous to the Paleocene, probably due to climate and habitat changes, as well as competition from other predators and pressure from herbivores.
The Model Pose represents a specimen of Carcharodontosaurus running and maneuvering to hunt one of its prey.
Approximate measurements of the Carcharodontosaurus:
- Scale 1:72 - 137 mm long
- Scale 1:35 - 280 mm long
