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Description
Carcharodontosaurus saharicus

North Africa during the mid-Cretaceous was a hotspot for some of the largest predators that ever walked the planet. From the giant river-dwelling Spinosaurus to the enigmatic Deltadromeus, the floodplains and lush swamps were home to a myriad of apex predators. After being setback by War, and strife, North Africa is beginning to reveal its secrets once again, with newer discoveries shedding light on the fauna of this enigmatic land.
Among the animals was one of the largest of all Carnosaurs, Carcharodontosaurus. The ragged-toothed lizard.

Two species of Carcharodontosaurus have been found. Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, the type species and the more recently discovered and smaller Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis. Both living around 100-95,000,000 years ago. The main difference, aside from their size, is that C.iguidensis was found in Niger, whilst C.saharicus was found further North in Egypt and Morocco. There may have been some range overlap in some areas, so these two species may have co-existed with each other. As for what role each predator played is unknown, given the extent of the fossil record in the region.

The type species, Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, was a massive apex predator. With individuals reaching over 40 in length and up to 8 tons in weight. Rivaling the size of the famous Tyrannosaurus rex. At over 4 feet long, the skull was massive and filled with sharp, serrated teeth designed to strip muscle and flesh from bone. Recent studies of the skull and neck muscles of Carcharodontosaurus and related Carnosaurs indicate that it could have lifted prey upwards of 900lbs in its jaws.
In terms of its prey, giant sauropod dinosaurs, like the giant 80-90 foot Titanosaur, Paralititan would have been its food source, along with the smaller Rebbachisaur sauropods and ornithopods. In Morocco, and Egypt footprints of an animal similar in size to the famous Iguanodon have been found. However very little, if any fossil material has been recovered to tell what species they are.
Given the strength of the neck muscles and skull, hunting the juvenile Sauropods and Ornithopods would have been quite easy for this predator. In the river systems, giant fish from 10-foot lungfish to giant Coelacanths like Mawsonia and the sawfish-like ray Onchopristis swam. Being perfect prey for its contemporary theropod, Spinosaurus, and the crocodilians that lived in the region.
At first, paleontologists thought that Carcharodontosaurus was niche partitioned. Making it so that Spinosaurus and crocodilians would feed upon the fish and river fauna in the region, while Carcharodontosaurus fed upon dinosaurs. However, a recent study from 2018 studying the calcium isotopes in theropod fossils from North Africa indicates that both Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus indicate may have engaged in a more piscivorous diet than other carnosaurian theropods from the cretaceous. This is not as outlandish as it seems. Given the fact that lions, leopards, and tigers will catch or scavenge from fish when given a chance, it's not beyond reason to think that Carcharodontosaurus would have scavenged or even hunted giant fish that called these tributaries home.

The environment of North Africa is mainly a desert today. However, when this massive predator walked the planet, it looked very different. The whole of North Africa was a massive series of both fresh and brackish water swamps and floodplains. Carcharodontosaurus would have shared this verdant habitat with other Carnosaurs, Abelisaurs, and of course, Spinosaurus. It would have resembled the mangrove forests of Southeast Asia and the lush tributaries of the Amazon or Mekong. However, no Mangroves would be present. Instead, mangrove-like ferns like Weichselia would dominate the riverbanks.

The first material of Carcharodontosaurus was described when a partial skull from Egypt was excavated in 1914. However, it would not be described till 1931 by Paleontologist Ernst Stromer. The material was held at the Berlin Natural History Museum until 1944, when a British bombing raid destroyed the material. Stromer tried to have the material relocated along with the remains of Spinosaurus before the outbreak of WWII. But Stromer was a critic of the Nazi regime, whereas the curator was an ardent Nazi Party Member and refused to do so. Ultimately destroying the complete material, leaving just teeth and very fragmentary fossils. However, in recent years, the scientific community has recovered more complete remains from the region.
In 1995 paleontologist Paul Sereno led an expedition to Morocco to find more remains of this massive Allosaur. And he succeeded when he found another partial skull of C.saharicus. Declared the species' neotype in 2007, Sereno compared it to notes made by Stromer, and it turns out, this individual was bigger than the holotype specimen destroyed during WWII, and it was among the largest of all theropods that ruled the Cretaceous.

Thanks to recent discoveries, this giant carnosaur shows itself to be an interesting, powerful, and unique predator from the mid-Cretaceous. A giant flesh-ripping giant that ruled the swamps of Mesozoic Africa, and hopefully, in the coming years, a clearer picture will emerge about the ecosystems it thrived in.

Easily one of the most iconic Cretaceous theropods, I decided to make this beauty when I found an old skin that a designer made on my old Hard Drive. I tried making one back in 2011-2013 when I was making the original Past Meets Present. However, I knew barely anything about Blender and never made it properly. But last night, given I had this skin, a better knowledge of blender, I thought, let's take another crack at it. And I say I did a good job.

I took the pose largely from FredtheDinosaurman 's painting:
Carcharodontosaurus by FredtheDinosaurman on DeviantArt

In terms of references, I mainly took PaleoJoe 's skeletal drawings as a reference:
Carcharodontosaurus by PaleoJoe on DeviantArt
Taking DinosaurManZT2 's Giganotosaurus, I changed the shape of the skull to resemble Carcharodontosaurus. I gave the dorsal vertebra a slight increase in height since it's more resembles Acrocanthosaurus.

As far as if this is going to be in Past Meets Present, probably. But it's a long way off. Definitely not in this season.

Original Giganotosaurus Model by DinosaurManZT2 modified by me, skin by DoctorSamWu
Giganotosaurus (HENDRIX) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom

For Past Meets Present:
Past Meets Present (Pt4 is Up) - The ZT2 Round Table

Description
Carcharodontosaurus saharicus

North Africa during the mid-Cretaceous was a hotspot for some of the largest predators that ever walked the planet. From the giant river-dwelling Spinosaurus to the enigmatic Deltadromeus, the floodplains and lush swamps were home to a myriad of apex predators. After being setback by War, and strife, North Africa is beginning to reveal its secrets once again, with newer discoveries shedding light on the fauna of this enigmatic land.
Among the animals was one of the largest of all Carnosaurs, Carcharodontosaurus. The ragged-toothed lizard.

Two species of Carcharodontosaurus have been found. Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, the type species and the more recently discovered and smaller Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis. Both living around 100-95,000,000 years ago. The main difference, aside from their size, is that C.iguidensis was found in Niger, whilst C.saharicus was found further North in Egypt and Morocco. There may have been some range overlap in some areas, so these two species may have co-existed with each other. As for what role each predator played is unknown, given the extent of the fossil record in the region.

The type species, Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, was a massive apex predator. With individuals reaching over 40 in length and up to 8 tons in weight. Rivaling the size of the famous Tyrannosaurus rex. At over 4 feet long, the skull was massive and filled with sharp, serrated teeth designed to strip muscle and flesh from bone. Recent studies of the skull and neck muscles of Carcharodontosaurus and related Carnosaurs indicate that it could have lifted prey upwards of 900lbs in its jaws.
In terms of its prey, giant sauropod dinosaurs, like the giant 80-90 foot Titanosaur, Paralititan would have been its food source, along with the smaller Rebbachisaur sauropods and ornithopods. In Morocco, and Egypt footprints of an animal similar in size to the famous Iguanodon have been found. However very little, if any fossil material has been recovered to tell what species they are.
Given the strength of the neck muscles and skull, hunting the juvenile Sauropods and Ornithopods would have been quite easy for this predator. In the river systems, giant fish from 10-foot lungfish to giant Coelacanths like Mawsonia and the sawfish-like ray Onchopristis swam. Being perfect prey for its contemporary theropod, Spinosaurus, and the crocodilians that lived in the region.
At first, paleontologists thought that Carcharodontosaurus was niche partitioned. Making it so that Spinosaurus and crocodilians would feed upon the fish and river fauna in the region, while Carcharodontosaurus fed upon dinosaurs. However, a recent study from 2018 studying the calcium isotopes in theropod fossils from North Africa indicates that both Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus indicate may have engaged in a more piscivorous diet than other carnosaurian theropods from the cretaceous. This is not as outlandish as it seems. Given the fact that lions, leopards, and tigers will catch or scavenge from fish when given a chance, it's not beyond reason to think that Carcharodontosaurus would have scavenged or even hunted giant fish that called these tributaries home.

The environment of North Africa is mainly a desert today. However, when this massive predator walked the planet, it looked very different. The whole of North Africa was a massive series of both fresh and brackish water swamps and floodplains. Carcharodontosaurus would have shared this verdant habitat with other Carnosaurs, Abelisaurs, and of course, Spinosaurus. It would have resembled the mangrove forests of Southeast Asia and the lush tributaries of the Amazon or Mekong. However, no Mangroves would be present. Instead, mangrove-like ferns like Weichselia would dominate the riverbanks.

The first material of Carcharodontosaurus was described when a partial skull from Egypt was excavated in 1914. However, it would not be described till 1931 by Paleontologist Ernst Stromer. The material was held at the Berlin Natural History Museum until 1944, when a British bombing raid destroyed the material. Stromer tried to have the material relocated along with the remains of Spinosaurus before the outbreak of WWII. But Stromer was a critic of the Nazi regime, whereas the curator was an ardent Nazi Party Member and refused to do so. Ultimately destroying the complete material, leaving just teeth and very fragmentary fossils. However, in recent years, the scientific community has recovered more complete remains from the region.
In 1995 paleontologist Paul Sereno led an expedition to Morocco to find more remains of this massive Allosaur. And he succeeded when he found another partial skull of C.saharicus. Declared the species' neotype in 2007, Sereno compared it to notes made by Stromer, and it turns out, this individual was bigger than the holotype specimen destroyed during WWII, and it was among the largest of all theropods that ruled the Cretaceous.

Thanks to recent discoveries, this giant carnosaur shows itself to be an interesting, powerful, and unique predator from the mid-Cretaceous. A giant flesh-ripping giant that ruled the swamps of Mesozoic Africa, and hopefully, in the coming years, a clearer picture will emerge about the ecosystems it thrived in.

Easily one of the most iconic Cretaceous theropods, I decided to make this beauty when I found an old skin that a designer made on my old Hard Drive. I tried making one back in 2011-2013 when I was making the original Past Meets Present. However, I knew barely anything about Blender and never made it properly. But last night, given I had this skin, a better knowledge of blender, I thought, let's take another crack at it. And I say I did a good job.

I took the pose largely from FredtheDinosaurman 's painting:
Carcharodontosaurus by FredtheDinosaurman on DeviantArt

In terms of references, I mainly took PaleoJoe 's skeletal drawings as a reference:
Carcharodontosaurus by PaleoJoe on DeviantArt
Taking DinosaurManZT2 's Giganotosaurus, I changed the shape of the skull to resemble Carcharodontosaurus. I gave the dorsal vertebra a slight increase in height since it's more resembles Acrocanthosaurus.

As far as if this is going to be in Past Meets Present, probably. But it's a long way off. Definitely not in this season.

Original Giganotosaurus Model by DinosaurManZT2 modified by me, skin by DoctorSamWu
Giganotosaurus (HENDRIX) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom

For Past Meets Present:
Past Meets Present (Pt4 is Up) - The ZT2 Round Table