Shaochilong

shark-toothed dragon

• shao (sha) · Chinese (Mandarin) · shark
• chi · Chinese (Mandarin) · tooth
• long · Chinese (Mandarin) · dragon

The name combines Mandarin Chinese words for "shark", "tooth" and "dragon", giving "shark-toothed dragon". It refers to the large, blade-like, serrated teeth typical of its family, the carcharodontosaurids, which are named after the great white shark genus Carcharodon. Shaochilong was a large theropod. It was first described in 1964 as a species of Chilantaisaurus and was moved to its own genus in 2009.

Named by

Brusatte et al.

Year named

2009

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Turonian

Found in

Ulansuhai Formation, Inner Mongolia, China

The type species is S. maortuensis, originally named Chilantaisaurus maortuensis by Hu in 1964. It is one of the latest-surviving carcharodontosaurids known from Asia. The pronunciation given is approximate.