Carcharodontosaurids facts for kids
Quick facts for kids CarcharodontosauridsTemporal range: Upper Jurassic–Upper Cretaceous, 154–70 mya
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Cast of a Carcharodontosaurus saharicus skull, Santa Barbara | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Class: | |
| Superorder: | |
| Order: | |
| Infraorder: | |
| Superfamily: | |
| Family: |
Carcharodontosauridae
|
The Carcharodontosauridae were a group of huge meat-eating dinosaurs. They were part of a larger group called theropods. Carcharodontosaurids were some of the biggest land predators ever known. Famous dinosaurs like Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, and Tyrannotitan belonged to this family. These giant dinosaurs were as big as, or even bigger than, the famous Tyrannosaurus!
Contents
Awesome Evolution of Carcharodontosaurids
Giant Predators of the Cretaceous
During the early and middle Cretaceous period, Carcharodontosaurids were among the largest predators. They lived across different parts of the world. You could find them in a supercontinent called Gondwana. They also lived in North America, where Acrocanthosaurus roamed. Another member, Shaochilong, lived in Asia.
These mighty dinosaurs lived from about 127 to 93 million years ago. After this time, smaller meat-eating dinosaurs might have taken their place. In Gondwana, abelisaurids became the main predators. In North America and Asia, tyrannosaurids became more common. This change happened all over the world.
Later Discoveries and Oldest Members
However, some dinosaur teeth found in Brazil suggest that Carcharodontosaurids might have survived longer. These teeth, from the late Cretaceous period, look like they belong to this group. This means they might have lived until the very end of the Cretaceous.
In 2011, scientists found something amazing! They described a new type of Carcharodontosaurid from Tanzania. This dinosaur, named Veterupristisaurus, lived during the Upper Jurassic period. This was about 154 to 150 million years ago. This makes Veterupristisaurus the oldest known Carcharodontosaurid!
Images for kids
-
A mounted skeleton of Acrocanthosaurus at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
See also
In Spanish: Carcarodontosáuridos para niños
