Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur based on descriptions of now-destroyed specimens from Egypt’s Bahariya Formation.
The newly identified dinosaur lived in what is now Africa during the Cretaceous period about 95 million years ago.
dubbing Tameriraptor Markographyan ancient species, is a member of a group of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs. Carcharodontosauridae.
The fossilized remains of this dinosaur were discovered in 1914 about 2 km (1.2 miles) from Ein Gedid, at the western foot of Gebel Hara in the Bahariya Formation.
This fossil was first described as a carcharodontosaur species by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach in 1931. Carcharodontosaurus sahalix.
“In 1931, Stromer described the first partial skeleton of a carcharodontosaur from the Cretaceous period of North Africa,” said first author Dr. Maximilian Kellermann and Ludwig Maximilian of the Bavarian State Institute of Paleontology and Geology. said a university colleague.
“The specimens were excavated from the Bahariya Formation, a locality in the northern Bahariya Oasis of Egypt, and include skull fragments (maxilla, nasal bone, part of the brain shell), vertebrae, part of the pubic bone and ischium, femur, and fibula. It consisted of
“Recognizing the common features of the related teeth, Stromer referred to the specimen as: Dryptosaurus sahalixproposed a new genus name, but carcharodontosaurusfor this kind of case. ”
According to the authors, the original specimen was destroyed during World War II.
The only extant data consist of Stromer's description and depiction of the specimen and an endocast of the brain box, currently stored in Berlin.
“What we saw in the historic footage surprised all of us,” Dr. Kellerman said.
“The Egyptian dinosaur fossils depicted there are very different from more recent dinosaur fossils.” carcharodontosaurus Found in Morocco. ”
“Thus, Stromer's original classification was inaccurate. We have now identified and named a completely different and previously unknown species of predatory dinosaur. Tameriraptor Markography”
Tameriraptor Markography It was approximately 10 meters (33 feet) long and had symmetrical teeth and a prominent nasal horn.
“We found that this dinosaur was closely related to the carcharodontosaurs of North Africa and South America, and to the metricanthosaurids, a group of predatory dinosaurs in Asia,” said the study's senior author. said one Dr. Oliver Rauchat.
“The dinosaur fauna of North Africa was probably much more diverse than we previously thought.”
“This study shows that there is value for paleontologists to dig not only in the ground but also in old archives.”
“However, a more comprehensive assessment of the Cretaceous predatory dinosaur fauna of Bahariya Oasis will require the recovery of more fossils from the site.”
of the team work Published in a magazine PLoS ONE.
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M. Kellerman others. 2025. Reassessment of its implications for the phylogeny of Bahariya Formation carcharodontosaurids (dinosaurs: theropods) and allosaurids. PLoS ONE 20 (1): e0311096;doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311096
Source: www.sci.news
