STL Science Center

STL Science Center

17 September 2016

African Predators

Bahariasaurus ingens was unearthed and recovered by the team of Ernst Stromer during the early 1930's. Like many of Stromer's African discoveries, this North African dinosaur was described during 1934 and dates from the oldest Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) approximately 95 million years ago. Also like most of Stromer's African dinosaurs, Bahariasaurus was destroyed by Allied bombing during Wold War II. Currently questioned as a synonym of the dinosaur Deltadromeus, Bahariasaurus is also currently described as a megaraptoran tyrannosaurid. This tyrannosaur sized dinosaur was a contemporary of the equally sized Carcharodontosaurus but possessed characters that, so far, keep the dinosaur separated from cracharodontosaurids as much as it is separated from tyrannosaurids and megarptorans proper. Without new remains we may never know the exact affiliation of this dinosaur; however, we do not now how long this will take or if it will happen for sure. Discovery of fossils is always a bit of luck and fortune though.
©Nobu Tamura

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