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EOCARCHARIA
(e-oh-kar-ka-ree-ah)
meaning: "Dawn shark"
Eocarcharia
Named By: P. C. Sereno & S. L. Brusatte in 2008
Time Period: Early Cretaceous, 112 Ma
Location: Niger - Elrhaz Formation
Size: Holotype roughly between 6 and 8 meters long
Diet: Carnivore
Fossil(s): Partial cranial remains and teeth
Classification: | Chordata | Reptilia | Dinosauria | Saurischia | Theropoda | Carcharodontosauridae |
About

Eocarcharia (meaning "dawn shark") is a genus of carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation that lived in the Sahara 112 million years ago, in what today is the country of Niger. It was discovered in 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, giving it a menacing glare (leading to the specific name dinops or "fierce-eyed"). It may have reached lengths of 6-8 m (19.7-26.2 ft).

Read more about Eocarcharia at Wikipedia
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