Bizarre New Dinosaurs Found in Sahara

[Judi Lynn]

Bizarre New Dinosaurs Found in Sahara

February 13, 2008—Face-to-face in a new fossil discovery, two newfound dinosaur species were revealed today. Both roamed Africa's Sahara desert some 110 million years ago and were found in present-day Niger.

Eocarcharia dinops, or ''fierce-eyed dawn shark,'' (left) was armed with three-inch (7.6-centimeter), blade-like teeth, likely for disabling and dismembering prey. Some experts speculate that its menacing brow was used in head-butting contests with rival males.

Kryptops palaois, or ''old hidden face,'' boasted a horny face that may have had a special role.

More:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/photogalleries/dinosaur-pictures/

[Judi Lynn]

1. New dinosaurs found in Niger

New dinosaurs found in Niger
By Mira Oberman
February 15, 2008 01:00am

THEY are among the strangest and most terrifying creatures ever unearthed.

With powerful claws, bodies made for hunting and teeth almost too scary to contemplate, two previously unknown flesh-eating dinosaurs that hunted the rich forests of Africa some 110 million years ago have been discovered in Niger.

Both ran quickly on powerful hind legs and competed for prey with a previously discovered third creature, which hunted both in and out of the water.

The three massive predators divided up the rich spoils, lead researcher Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago said.

More:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23214143-2,00.html

[shain from kane]

2. Let's send Joe Wilson to investigate. n/t

[golddigger]

4. Huh!

:wtf:

[Judi Lynn]

3. New Meat-eating Dinosaur Duo From Sahara Ate Like Hyenas, Sharks

New Meat-eating Dinosaur Duo From Sahara Ate Like Hyenas, Sharks

ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2008) — Two new 110 million-year-old dinosaurs unearthed in the Sahara Desert highlight the unusual meat-eaters that prowled southern continents during the Cretaceous Period. Named Kryptops and Eocarcharia in a paper appearing this month in the scientific journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, the fossils were discovered in 2000 on an expedition led by University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno.

Sereno and co-author paleontologist Stephen Brusatte of the University of Bristol say the new fossils provide a glimpse of an earlier stage in the evolution of the bizarre meat-eaters of Gondwana, the southern landmass. "T-rex has become such a fixture of Cretaceous lore, most people don't realize that no tyrannosaur ever set foot on a southern continent," said Sereno. Instead, particularly distinctive meat-eaters arose, some of which bore no resemblance to the "tyrant king," beyond their appetites for fresh meat.

Short-snouted Kryptops palaios, or "old hidden face," was so named for the horny covering that appears to have covered nearly all of its face. "A fast, two-legged hyena gnawing and pulling apart a carcass," remarked even Brusatte, "is how we might best imagine Kryptops' dining habits." Like later members of its group (called abelisaurids) in South America and India, Kryptops had short, armored jaws with small teeth that would have been better at gobbling guts and gnawing on carcasses than snapping at live prey. About 25 feet in length, Kryptops was a voracious meat-eater.

A similar-sized contemporary, Eocarcharia dinops, or "fierce-eyed dawn shark," was so named for its blade-shaped teeth and prominent bony eyebrow. Unlike Kryptops, its teeth were designed for disabling live prey and severing body parts. Eocarcharia and kin (called carcharodontosaurids) gave rise to the largest predators on southern continents, matching or exceeding Tyrannosaurus in size. Eocarcharia's brow was swollen into a massive band of bone, giving it a menacing glare.

More:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213193749.htm

[Hand]

5. I'd really try not to piss them off...

:wow: