Eocarcharia

*Eocarcharia dinops*

***Eocarcharia*** (meaning "dawn shark") is a genus of carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in the Sahara 112 million years ago, in what today is the country of Niger. It was discovered in the year 2000 on an expedition led by University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno.

The type and only species is *Eocarcharia dinops*. Its teeth were shaped like blades and were used for disabling live prey and ripping apart body parts. *Eocarcharia*’s brow is swollen into a massive band of bone that potentially expanded into a crest, giving it a menacing glare (leading to the specific name *dinops* or "fierce-eyed"). It may have reached lengths of 6–8 m (20–27 ft). It was one of the many gigantic theropod dinosaurs found in the Sahara and among the largest carnivores to ever live on Earth. *Eocarcharia* was 7–9 meters in length based on recent estimates. Being a carcharodontosaurid, it may have ate sauropods such as *Nigersaurus taqueti*.

## History

It's name eludes to the later *Carcharodontosaurus*, which also lived in northern Africa. The genus name translates to "dawn shark" due to its basal position and the binomial name translates to "fierce-eyed", because of the low crests.

## Description

*Eocarcharia* is a basal genus of carcharodontosaurid, with robust fore and hind limbs. The front arms are tipped in three curved claws, the thumb being the largest and the greatest curved. Like other carcharodontids, *Eocarcharia* has shark-like teeth. The skull has two low crests hanging over the eyes. The crests had a large swollen lump of bone, giving the animal a fierce glare. Not much is currently known about *Eocarcharia*, as only a few fragments of its skull have been found. *Eocarcharia* was named by palaeontologist Paul Sereno in 2008.

*Eocarcharia dinops*, or “fierce-eyed dawn shark” was named for its blade-shaped teeth and prominent bony eyebrow. The teeth were designed for disabling live prey and severing body parts. *Eocarcharia* is a carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur group that lived in the Elrhaz Formation from the Early Cretaceous.

*Eocarcharia* might have measured up to 7-9 meters in length. This dinosaur lived around 112 million years ago in the Sahara, where the current country Niger is located. Paul Sereno, a paleontologist of the University of Chicago, led an expedition in 2000 and discovered the remains of this dinosaur. The only dinosaur and type species of this genus is *Eocarcharia dinops*.

This specific scientific term translates to 'fierce-eyed,' referring to their swollen brow, one of the distinct features of this species. These dinosaurs had blade-shaped, sharp teeth, which were used for paralyzing their prey before ripping them apart. The Greek term Carcharodontosauridae translates to 'shark-toothed-lizards.' This family has some of the largest land predator species ever discovered. Ernst Stromer named this family in 1931 to classify the newly discovered *Carcharodontosaurus saharicus* within this family. Paul Sereno gave Carcharodontosauridae a classification of a clade in 1998.

Sereno and team discovered the upper jaw bone and a half-dozen other bones of the skull and teeth. They also discovered vertebrae, limb bones and claws, but until a better skeleton is discovered cannot tell for sure if they belong to *Eocarcharia*.

## Paleoecology

In the Elrhaz Formation, dinosaurs that lived with *Eocarcharia* include theropods *Kryptops* and *Suchomimus*, sauropod *Nigersaurus*, and ornithopods *Ouranosaurus*, *Lurdusaurus*, *Elrhazosaurus*.

## Appearance in other media

### *Jurassic Park*

* Eocarcharia appeared in the Jurassic World toys.

## References

* https://paulsereno.uchicago.edu/discoveries/eocarcharia\_dinops/
* https://everythingdinosaurs.weebly.com/eocarcharia.html
* https://kidadl.com/dinosaur-facts/eocarcharia-facts
* https://www.science20.com/news\_releases/eocarcharia\_and\_kryptops\_new\_dinosaur\_duo\_from\_sahara\_ate\_like\_hyenas\_sharks
* https://carnivora.net/eocarcharia-dinops-t1329.html
* https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/8923738
* https://www.reuters.com/article/us-dinosaurs-african-idINN1339128720080214
* http://www.paleofile.com/Dinosaurs/Theropods/Eocarcharia.asp

1. ↑ https://paulsereno.uchicago.edu/discoveries/eocarcharia\_dinops/
2. ↑ https://www.newswise.com/articles/new-meat-eating-dinosaur-duo-from-sahara-unveiled