Scientists Discover T-Rex-like Dinosaur In Africa

February 14, 2008 9:34 a.m. EST

Chicago, IL (AHN)- Paleontologists from the University of Chicago said that two vicious and carnivorous dinosaurs dominated the once lush forests of Sahara, Africa about 110 million years ago. The fossils were unearthed in present day Niger and are believed to be two of the three largest flesh-eating dinosaurs which roamed the continent.

The new dicoveries: Eocarcharia dinops, the "fierce-eyed dawn shark," and Kryptops palaois, the ''old hidden face,'' are said to have belonged to the family of southern predatory dinosaurs which ruled the cretaceous period. These two terrible lizards undoubtedly match, and can even exceed the much-revered Tyrannosaurus rex in size and ferocity.

The Eocarcharia was known for its long, narrow, and blade-shaped teeth and bony brow. This animal specialized in capturing live prey and severing limbs. Kryptops, on the other hand, was so named because a bill-like material covered its face. This fast, two-legged scavenger specialized in gnawing, and probably used the bill-like protrusion to stick its head into carcasses.

"What we've found are primitive members of the two groups of megacarnivorous dinosaurs that ruled the southern continents for 50 million years. The two new dinosaurs, along with an even bigger predator, the fish-eating, sail-backed Suchomimus, represent a trio of meat-eating lineages that became dominant in Africa and possibly other southern landmasses," wrote University of Chicago scientist Paul Sereno and Stephen Brusatte (university of Bristol, UK) in the latest issue of the journal, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

The T-Rex was king of the northern continent but was unable to reach Africa. And here, the triumverate of Suchomimus, Eocarcharia,and Kryptops shared dominion over all other species.

"You've got three big animals, one is getting in with fish but it has huge powerful forearms so is a predator as well, that's the Suchomimus.The Eocarcharia has blade shaped teeth: it was definitely an active predator severing limbs and gashing flesh. Then you have this other guy (Kryptops) probably picking up the pieces and tracking down dead animals and sticking its short snout that's not very good for live captures into carcasses and going after guts," described the authors, explaining how the three carnivores moved and behaved.

Sereno's team discovered the fossils in the Sahara in 2000, wherein they dug up about 20 tons of pre-historic material. Since then scores of paleontologists and students have painstakingly sorted and classified the finds - eventually matching enough pieces of Eocarcharia and Kryptops to declare them new species.