Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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
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
