Eocarcharia
Name:
Eocarcharia
(Dawn shark).
Phonetic: E-oh-kar-ka-ree-ah.
Named By: P. C. Sereno & S. L.
Brusatte
- 2008.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, Theropoda, Carcharodontosauridae.
Species: E. dinops (type).
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Holotype roughly between 6 and 8 meters
long.
Known locations: Niger - Elrhaz Formation.
Time period: Aptian/Albian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial cranial remains and
teeth.
Even
though
the name Eocarcharia means ‘dawn shark’, it
was actually a
theropod dinosaur. This name came about from the serrated slicing
teeth that are thought to have sliced through flesh as easily as a
shark. The dawn part is a reference to its early appearance to some
other related genera. Although only known from incomplete remains
Eocarcharia has been identified as being a member of
the
Carcharodontosauridae,
a group of theropod dinosaurs established
around the type genus of Carcharadontosaurus,
another dinosaur named
for its tooth resemblance to a sharks.
Some
of the most noteworthy
features of Eocarcharia are the enlarged bone
growths above the eyes.
These features likely served a display purpose, and may have been
coloured differently to the rest of the head. Due to the incomplete
nature of the remains only a broad ranged size estimate for Eocarcharia
exists. This is based upon comparison to its more complete
relatives,
although it’s not unreasonable that larger estimates approaching
twelve meters in length may be accurate given that it is a relative of
Giganotosaurus,
one of the largest known theropod dinosaurs.
Further reading
- Basal abelisaurid and carcharodontosaurid theropods from the Lower
Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation of Niger. - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica
53(1):15-46. - P. C. Sereno and S. L. Brusatte - 2008.
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