ACROCANTHOSAURUS
Unlike the large, broad skull of Tyrannosaurus, the skull of Acrocanthosaurus was narrow with relatively weak muscles powering its jaws. Another difference between the two carnivores is in their teeth. Tyrannosaurus possessed banana shaped teeth designed for crushing the bones of other dinosaurs. Acrocanthosaurus was equipped with teeth shaped like steak knives, which would allow the animal to slice chunks of flesh from its meals.
SPINAL COLUMN
The spinal column of Acrocanthosaurus is what gives this creature its name. The tops of each individual vertebrae were lengthened, possibly giving the Acrocanthosaurus a sail like structure on its back. This seems unlikely, given the fact that a living animal is more than skin and bones. It is possible that the elongated vertebrae would have been attachment points for large leg muscles.
ARMS
The Acrocanthosaurus's arms were longer than those of Tyrannosaurus, but not much more useful. The arms could only rotate a total of 30 degrees in either direction. Combine this with the arms height above the ground, there was no way Acrocanthosaurus would be catching small prey with its arms.
CONTEMPORARIES
PREY
COMPETITION
It has always been thought that the hunts of carnivorous dinosaurs ended in titanic battles between giants. Acrocanthosaurus provides proof of this.
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In the Paluxy River in Texas, there is a fossilized track way that shows a large, long-necked sauropod dinosaur being hunted by an equally large theropod carnivore during the Early Cretaceous. Only one large carnivore is known in that area from that time, Acrocanthosaurus. The exact identity of the prey is unknown. A likely candidate would be Sauroposideon (sore-O-po-side-on). This massive relative of Brachiosaurus would have looked very similar to the Puertasaurus (poo-air-ta-sore-us)shown above.
Acrocanthosaurus was not the only predator living on the coast of the Western Interior Sea. Acrocanthosaurus had a rival in the form of the raptor dinosaur, Deinonychus (die-no-nye-cuss).
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While it only stood about four feet tall, Deinonychus is thought to have hunted in packs, leaping onto larger prey and slashing at it with their sickle-shaped toe claws. Deinonychus began a renaissance in the way we think of dinosaurs. When discovered, Deinonychus was used as proof that dinosaurs led warm blooded, active lifestyles. It is now believed that Deinonychus and its relatives were covered in feathers, possibly even brightly colored feathers such as those that adorn the raptor above.
EXTINCTION
Acrocanthosaurus dominated the American west for millions of years. Eventually though, the mighty beast fell to extinction. This fall was primarily due to the disappearance of the giant sauropods Acrocanthosaurus had evolved to hunt. The extinction of Acrocanthosaurus was mirrored in many of its relatives. Acrocanthosaurus's extinction did have a major effect on the ecosystem it left. The slot for top predator was open and the tyrant kings were ready to step forward.
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Image Credits
All images have been cropped to fit the space required
All images are used under Fair Use laws
Image credits are listed from top to bottom and from left to right
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Acrocanthosaurus
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: The Isle
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Acrocanthosaurus skull
Original picture by: Christophe Hendrickx
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Acrocanthosaurus skeleton
Original picture by: Sergey Galyonkin
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Blue Acrocanthosaurus
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: Primal Carnage: Extinction
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Puertasaurus
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: The Isle
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"Novaraptor"
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: Primal Carnage: Extinction
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Acrocanthosaurus hunting
Original render by: Discovery Channel
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Dead Acrocanthosaurus
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: Primal Carnage: Extinction
While not as well known as Tyrannosaurus rex, Acrocanthosaurus is a creature that in terms of size rivaled Tyrannosaurus. The only known species, Acrocanthosaurus atokensis (ack-row-can-tho-sore-us at-O-ken-sis), grew up to nearly 40 feet in length. Size and role in the ecosystem is the only thing these two tyrants share. The two creatures were built very differently, with major differences being in the skull, back and arms.
SKULL
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
In life, all the features that made Acrocanthosaurus unique would work together during the hunt. A typical hunt would go something like this. A herd of Sauroposideon walk along the beach. From the tree line, lone Acrocanthosaurus evaluates the herd. Normally, an attack on the sauropods would be a group event. However, this time the hunter is alone. The carnivore spots it prey, a straggler from the herd. The hunt begins. The Acrocanthosaurus emerges from the tree line, charging at the herd. Startled, the giant herbivores abandon their distracted member. Separated from the herd, the straggler starts to run, trying to catch up to the herd. This is when the Acrocanthosaurus strikes. Using its strong legs, the massive carnivore runs along the side of the sauropod. Once it is keeping pace with the herbivore, it leaps onto the side of the Sauroposideon, hanging on with strong arms. The jaws then begin their work, biting viciously. As the hunter's arms begin to tire, it rips off a bite sized piece of the sauropod. The Acrocanthosaurus dismounts its prey, swallowing the souvenir it ripped off. This process is repeated again and again, until the Sauroposideon falls, allowing the Acrocanthosaurus to feast.