Fossil - Carcharodontosaurus

Fossil - Carcharodontosaurus

Late Cretaceous, Cenomanian stage, ca. 99.6 - 93.5 million years ago, Taouz, Kem Kem area, Morocco.

A unique, approximately 100 million year old fossilized tail vertebra of a predatory dinosaur (Carcharodontosaurus saharicus). The specimen measures approximately 49mm x 34mm x 25mm. Weight approximately 38g.

Carcharodontosaurus was a giant genus of theropod, or predatory dinosaur, that lived about 100 to 90 million years ago in North Africa. The genus currently includes two massive species, C. saharicus and C. iguidensis. Carcharodontosaurus was one of the largest bipedal predatory dinosaurs, even larger than the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex. Carcharodontosaurs were about 12-13 meters long, their height at the withers was about 3.6 meters and their live weight was 6-15 tons. They had short front legs, strong hind limbs and a long, stabilizing tail. Called the "African T-Rex" for its appearance, Carcharodontosaurus was, however, more like the "African Velociraptor" for its agility and speed (the species could run very fast), although it weighed many times more. The skull of Carcharodontosaurus saharicus was nearly 1.6 meters long, and that of C. iguidensis was nearly the same size. Both species had gigantic jaws with an estimated 32 serrated teeth that could be up to 20 centimeters long. Carcharodontosaurs are named after the shark genus Carcharodon. The genus name comes from the Greek words karchar[os] (κάρχαρος) "serrated or sharp", odōn (ὀδών) tooth, and the suffix -saurus.

Symbol meaning

Ritual use

Note! Fossils are natural products that are millions of years old, so each one is unique. Therefore, colors, shapes and brightness may vary. The condition varies from fair to good and there are typical wear, fractures and small chips for fossils.