Carcharodontosaurus Temporal range: Early–Late Cretaceous, 112–93.5 Ma |
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Carcharodontosaurus skull cast, Science Museum of Minnesota | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Order: | Saurischia |
Suborder: | Theropoda |
Family: | †Carcharodontosauridae |
Subfamily: |
†Carcharodontosaurinae Stromer, 1931 |
Genus: |
†Carcharodontosaurus Stromer, 1931 |
Type species | |
†Carcharodontosaurus saharicus Depéret & Savornin, 1925 |
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Species | |
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Synonyms | |
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Carcharodontosaurus /ˌkɑːrkəroʊˌdɒntoʊˈsɔːrəs/ is a genus of carnivorous carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs that existed between 112 and 93.5 million years ago, during the early Albian to early Turonian stages of the mid-Cretaceous Period. It is currently known to include two species, C.saharicus and C.iguidensis, which were among the larger theropods, nearly as large as or even larger than Tyrannosaurus, Giganotosaurus and Spinosaurus.
The genus Carcharodontosaurus is named after the shark genus Carcharodon (itself named from the Greek καρχαρο (karcharo) meaning "jagged" or "sharp" and οδοντο (odonto) meaning "teeth")), and σαυρος (sauros), meaning "lizard".
Carcharodontosaurus includes some of the longest and heaviest known carnivorous dinosaurs, with various scientists proposing length estimates for the species C. saharicus ranging between 12 and 13.3 m (39 and 44 ft) and weight estimates between 6.2 and 15.1 metric tons.