Carcharodontosaurus saharicus and iguidensis were the only two species of Carcharodontosaurus. These carnivorous dinosaurs were about the same size, but the bigger C. saharicus was stronger. Since they were almost identical in behavior, defense, and offense, the bigger C. saharicus would win in most battles!
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Battle Facts about Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis vs. Carcharodontosaurus saharicus
| Name | Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis (C. iguidensis) | Carcharodontosaurus saharicus (C. saharicus) |
| Size | 33 feet long, 12-13 feet tall, 8,800 pounds | 39-41 feet long, 14 feet tall, 13,600 pounds |
| Speed | 20 mph | 20 mph |
| Offense | Shark-like teeth | Shark-like teeth |
| Defense | Flexible neck, agile and quick | Sharp claws on its forelimbs, swinging heavy tail |
| Endurance and Behavior | Same adaptations as C. saharicus but smaller | Had excellent vision |
Carcharodontosauruses are known as shark-toothed lizards because of their long, jagged teeth. The two species of Carcharodontosauruses are very similar in size and adaptations. These massive carnivores of Northern Africa were known to fight with giants like the Spinosaurus!
When fighting each other, the stronger C. saharicus had a clear advantage over the smaller C. iguidensis.
The Classification of Carcharodontosauridae Species
Carcharodontosauridae got their name from the shark genus Carcharodon. They are named for their jagged, sharp teeth. Carcharodon includes the Great White Shark, but the Carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs aren’t related to sharks.
Sharks have existed since 450 million years ago. Dinos – known scientifically as Dinosauria – didn’t appear until more than 200 million years later! And while the only living dino descendants are avians (birds), hundreds of shark species still swim in Earth’s oceans.
Were there other Carcharodontosaurid Dinosaurs?
Carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs evolved from Allosaurus and included many species. All these species fall under the Carnosauria, a group filled with some of the largest Theropod dinosaurs clades. Carcharodontosaurid dinos lived from the mid-Jurassic to the late Cretaceous period.
Some of the fiercest predatory dinosaurs were related to Carcharodons. These include apex predators:
- The Acrocanthosaurus
- The Giganotosaurus
- The Mapusaurus
- The Tyrannotitan
What Dino was called Carcharodontosaurus saharicus?
In 1925 the first species of Carcharodontosaurus was found in the Sahara desert, where the species name saharicus came from. The holotype (or main fossil) was first put into the taxon Megalosaurus and called Megalosaurus saharicus by paleontologists Depéret and Savornin. In 1931, Ernst Stromer named the genus Carcharodontosaurus, meaning Shark-toothed lizard.
C. saharicus lived from around 100-90 MYA. This period is the Albian to the Cenomanian of the late Cretaceous period. They were slightly bigger than a Tyrannosaurus rex but not as heavy.
Unfortunately, the original fossils from 1925 were destroyed in World War II. research on C. saharicus stopped for many decades because paleontologists had no fossils to study. But in 1995, paleontologist Paul Sereno and his group found a new C. saharicus skull (neotype) in the Kem Kem beds of Morocco.
What Dino was called Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis?
C. iguidensis was found slightly further south than C. saharicus. The first iguidensis fossil was found in Niger in 1997. That was less than 30 years ago!
Even though these two dinos are almost identical, C. iguidensis had a different braincase or skull. The maxilla or upper jaw was also different. This proved that paleontologists had found a new species of Carcharodontosaurus and not just a younger dino!
In 2007 paleontologists Brusatte and Sereno named this new species of Carcharodontosaurus C. iguidensis. To date, only two species of Carcharodontosaurus have been found.
What is the difference in size between the two species of Carcharodontosaurus?
C. saharicus was about 8 feet longer and 2 feet taller than iguidensis. C. saharicus was also 13,600 pounds! C. iguidensis was only about 8,800 pounds.
The size was the biggest difference between these two dinos. They were apex predators who ate reptiles, ancient mammals, and other dinos! They both went extinct around 90 million years ago when the continents separated and African flood waters rose.
Were Either of the Two Species of Carcharodontosauruses Afraid of Other Dinos?
Paleontology hasn’t gotten to the point where we can know if a dino is fearful or fearless. We do know that there is evidence of Carcharodontosaurus teeth marks on the sail of a Spinosaurus fossil. Carcharodontosaurus might not have been fearless, but they were willing to fight when needed.
The other thing paleontologists know about these amazing carnivores is that they hunted the massive Sauropods that lived in Morocco, Niger, Algeria, and Egypt during their lifetimes. And Carcharodontosauruses hunted in small groups, showing they were smart and social!
Iguidensis vs. C.Saharicus: Who Would Win?
C. saharicus was so much bigger, which gave it the advantage of strength. C. iguidensis would probably put up a good fight. Unfortunately, when all other skills are equal, size matters.
Luckily for the iguidensis, C. saharicus and C. iguidensis fossils don’t show that these two species of Carcharodontosauruses fought often. Some fossils had small nicks that were clearly from other Carcharodontosaurs, but those could also be from scavenging.
Like any social animal, there were disputes over territory and food, but nothing deadly as far as we know. Taking down the huge Sauropods probably needed more than one dino. Because of this and the large groups of fossils found together, we know they were more likely to work together, which was good for the smaller iguidensis!