Open Paleo

Carcharodontosauria

Benson et al., 2010

Its genera lived 154.8–89.8 million years ago Late Jurassic–Late Cretaceous

Carcharodontosauria is a clade of allosauroid theropods comprising Carcharodontosauridae and their closest relatives, encompassing many of the largest terrestrial predators of the Cretaceous across both Gondwana and Laurasia. Its basal members are medium-sized forms that grade into the giant carcharodontosaurids. The carcharodontosaurids underwent a worldwide dispersal during the Early Cretaceous before the family died out in the Turonian, roughly 90 million years ago, after which other large theropods took over the apex-predator role.

Diagnosis

  1. Large body size with proportionally large, ornamented skulls
  2. Laterally compressed, serrated teeth
  3. Extensive cranial pneumaticity
  4. Rugose ornamentation on the lacrimal and postorbital bones

Clades within Carcharodontosauria

Genera placed directly in Carcharodontosauria

  • Lusovenator Malafaia et al., 2020 Kimmeridgian–Tithonian (154.8–143.1 Ma)Portugalincertae sedisunder dispute
  • Siamraptor Chokchaloemwong et al., 2019 Aptian (121.4–113.2 Ma)Thailandincertae sedisunder dispute
  • Ulughbegsaurus Disputed Tanaka et al., 2021 Turonian (93.9–89.8 Ma)Uzbekistanincertae sedis

References

  1. Benson, R. B. J.; Carrano, M. T.; Brusatte, S. L. (2010). A new clade of archaic large-bodied predatory dinosaurs (Theropoda: Allosauroidea) that survived to the latest Mesozoic. Naturwissenschaften 97(1): 71-78. doi:10.1007/s00114-009-0614-x benson2010d