Carcharodontosaurids Were BROKEN | Size, Phylogeny, Physiology

Carcharodontosaurids were broken. Carcharodontosaurids ruled the Cretaceous landmass and evolved some of Earth’s biggest land predators, rivaled only by the later tyrannosaurs. They include some of prehistory’s most iconic theropod dinosaurs, from tiger-sized hunters like Lajasvenator to gigantic sauropod specialists like Mapusaurus. Their near-global distribution, tens of millions of years of rule, and apex predator adaptations made them one of the most successful theropod families in the Mesozoic. We’re going to cover the Carcharodontosauridae in detail, going over each taxon’s body size, phylogeny within the iconic family, and the physiological adaptations that made them the carnivore kings of much of the Cretaceous. Thumbnail art by: Literally Miguel; Camus Altamirano; Arturo Garcia; Cisiopurple 00:00: Carcharodontosaurids were BROKEN 02:24: Veterupristisaurus milneri 03:10: Lusovenator santosi 03:45: Sauronips pachytholus 04:24: Kelmayisaurus patrolicus 04:53: Lajasvenator ascheriae 05:18: Datanglong guangxiensis 05:42: Acrocanthosaurus atokensis 06:42: Tameryraptor markgrafi 07:30: Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis 07:50: Carcharodontosaurus saharicus 09:00: Taurovenator violantei 09:48: Meraxes gigas 10:15: Tyrannotitan chubutensis 10:50: Mapusaurus roseae 11:25: Giganotosaurus carolinii 12:20: Physiological Adaptations