Name:
Bahariasaurus (Arabic/Greek for "oasis lizard"); pronounced ba-HA-ree-ah-SORE-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of northern Africa
Historical Period:
Middle Cretaceous (100-95 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
Up to 40 feet long and 7 tons
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Large size; bipedal posture
About Bahariasaurus:
The euphoniously named Bahariasaurus ("oasis lizard") might be better known today if its only fossils hadn't been destroyed by an Allied bombing raid on Germany during World War II (the same fate befell the remains of a much better-known dinosaur, Spinosaurus). What we do know from these long-gone hipbones is that Bahariasaurus was a large theropod, possibly attaining Tyrannosaurus Rex-like sizes of 6 or 7 tons. As to the evolutionary lineage of Bahariasaurus, that's a murky affair: this dinosaur may have been related to the north African Carcharodontosaurus, it may have been a true tyrannosaur, or it may even have been a species or specimen of the contemporary Deltadromeus; we'll probably never know without additional fossil discoveries.
