Editing Carcharodontosaurus (section)

{{short description|Genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur from the Cretaceous period}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} 
{{automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = [[Late Cretaceous]] ([[Cenomanian]]), {{Fossil range|100|94}}
| image = Ultimate Dinosaurs Carcharodontosaurus.jpg
| image_caption = Reconstructed ''C. saharicus'' skull, [[Science Museum of Minnesota]]
| image_alt = Reconstructed skull of a carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur
| taxon = Carcharodontosaurus
| authority = [[Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach|Stromer]], [[1931 in paleontology|1931]]
| type_species = {{extinct}}'''''Carcharodontosaurus saharicus'''''
| type_species_authority = ([[Charles Depéret|Depéret]] & [[Justin Savornin|Savornin]], [[1925 in paleontology|1925]])<br/> [originally ''[[Megalosaurus]]'']
| subdivision_ranks = Other species
| subdivision = * {{extinct}}'''''C. iguidensis?'''''<br/><small>[[Steve Brusatte|Brusatte]] & [[Paul Sereno|Sereno]], [[2007 in paleontology|2007]]</small>
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true
|''[[Megalosaurus]] saharicus'' <small>Depéret & Savornin, 1925</small>
|''[[Dryptosaurus]] saharicus'' <small>(Depéret & Savornin, 1925)</small>
|''Megalosaurus africanus'' <small>von Huene, [[1956 in paleontology|1956]]</small> }}
}}

'''''Carcharodontosaurus''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|ɑːr|k|ər|oʊ-|ˌ|d|ɒ|n|t|oʊ-|ˈ|s|ɔːr|ə|s}}; {{lit|shark toothed lizard}}) is a genus of large [[Carnivore|carnivorous]] [[theropod]] [[dinosaur]] that lived in [[Maghreb|Northwest Africa]] from about 100 to 94 million years ago during the [[Cenomanian]] age of the [[Cretaceous]]. Two [[teeth]] of the genus, now lost, were first described from Algeria by French [[paleontologists]] [[Charles Depéret]] and [[Justin Savornin]] as ''[[Megalosaurus]] saharicus''. A partial skeleton initially referred to this genus was collected by crews of German paleontologist [[Ernst Stromer]] during a 1914 expedition to Egypt. Stromer did not report the Egyptian find until 1931, in which he dubbed the novel genus ''Carcharodontosaurus'', making the type species '''''C.&nbsp;saharicus'''''. Although this skeleton was destroyed during the [[World War II|Second World War]], it was subsequently redescribed as the holotype of a distinct carcharodontosaurid genus, ''[[Tameryraptor]]''. In 1995, a nearly complete [[skull]] of ''C. saharicus,'' the first well-preserved specimen to be found in almost a century, was discovered in the [[Kem Kem Group|Kem Kem Beds]] of Morocco, which was officially designated as the [[neotype]] in 2007. In the same year, fossils unearthed from the [[Echkar Formation]] of northern Niger were described and named as another species, '''''C. iguidensis''''', though this species might belong to a different genus.

''Carcharodontosaurus'' is one of the largest theropod dinosaurs known, with the type species reaching {{cvt|12–12.5|m|abbr=on}} in length and approximately {{convert|5|-|7|MT|ST}} in body mass. It had a large, lightly built [[skull]] with a triangular [[Rostrum (anatomy)|rostrum]]. Its [[jaw]]s were lined with sharp, recurved, serrated teeth that bear striking resemblances to those of the [[great white shark]] (genus ''[[Carcharodon]]''), the inspiration for the name. Though giant, its cranium was made lighter by greatly expanded [[Fossa (anatomy)|fossae]] and [[Antorbital fenestra|fenestrae]], but also making it more fragile than [[Tyrannosauridae|tyrannosaurids']]. Studies of the [[Bite force quotient|bite force]] and tooth anatomy of carcharodontosaurids have found them to have relatively low bite force compared to other (large) theropods. The [[forelimb]]s were tiny whereas the [[hindlimb]]s were robust and muscular. Like most other theropods, it had an elongated [[tail]] for balance. Many gigantic theropods are known from North Africa during this period, including both species of ''Carcharodontosaurus'' as well as the [[Spinosauridae|spinosaurid]] ''[[Spinosaurus]]'', the possible [[ceratosaur]] ''[[Deltadromeus]],'' and unnamed large [[abelisaurid]]s. North Africa at the time was blanketed in [[mangrove]] forests and [[wetland]]s, creating a hotspot of [[fish]], [[crocodyliforms]], and [[pterosaur]] diversity.