page_title: Carcharodontosaurus
section_title: Brain and inner ear
hierarchical_section_title: Carcharodontosaurus / Description / Brain and inner ear
caption_attribution_description: English: Carcharodontosaurus reconstruction. Based on Giganotosaurus (Hartman), with anatomy based on Sereno et al. (1996).
context_page_description: Carcharodontosaurus is a genus of carnivorous carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs that existed during the Cenomanian stage of the mid-Cretaceous Period in Northern Africa. It is currently known to include two species: C. saharicus and C. iguidensis, which are 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 composed of the Greek karchar[os] and odōn, and the suffix -saurus.
context_section_description: In 2001, Hans C. E. Larsson published a description of the inner ear and endocranium of Carcharodontosaurus saharicus. Starting from the portion of the brain closest to the tip of the animal's snout is the forebrain, which is followed by the midbrain. The midbrain is angled downwards at a 45-degree angle and towards the rear of the animal. This is followed by the hindbrain, which is roughly parallel to the forebrain and forms a roughly 40-degree angle with the midbrain. Overall, the brain of C. saharicus would have been similar to that of a related dinosaur, Allosaurus fragilis. Larsson found that the ratio of the cerebrum to the volume of the brain overall in Carcharodontosaurus was typical for a non-avian reptile. Carcharodontosaurus also had a large optic nerve.
  The three semicircular canals of the inner ear of Carcharodontosaurus saharicus – when viewed from the side – had a subtriangular outline. This subtriangular inner ear configuration is present in Allosaurus, lizards, turtles, but not in birds. The semi-"circular" canals themselves were actually very linear, which explains the pointed silhouette. In life, the floccular lobe of the brain would have projected into the area surrounded by the semicircular canals, just like in other non-avian theropods, birds, and pterosaurs.
caption: Life restoration of C. saharicus
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