Named after the demonic Eye of Sauron from the film trilogy "the Lord of the Rings" (alas, about the book we are not talking) a new species of predatory dinosaurs of the terror of North Africa is about 95 million years ago.

Sauroniops pachytholus (genus is named in Greek) allocated only to the pattern found in the South-East Morocco in 2007. An instance is a fragment of the upper part of the skull, including the eye socket. Lead author of the description Andrea KAU of the Geological Museum. Giovanni Cappellini (Italy) noted that it is this fact - from the fierce monsters were only "eye" and reminded him of the film by Peter Jackson.

Sauromys dines young spinosaurus. The other two spinosaur flee. (Reconstruction Emiliano Troco.)

Sauromys treated carcharodontosaurus - giant theropods, there was a bipedal a butcher. Most likely, he had a long and deep skull with jaws lined than one dozen sharp teeth.

Comparison of the sample with skulls related species suggest that the length of the animal reached 12 meters Wide and thick bone hints that the dinosaur could compare the size of a Tyrannosaurus rex. Of course, this is only a rough guess, but nothing else yet.

The analysis also showed that on the forehead sauromys wore expressive "lump", differed from other carcharodontosaurus. Perhaps bulge helped him to butt heads with other males during mating season.

This is the fourth carcharodontosaurus from Africa. There, in Morocco, lived no less formidable Carcharodontosaurus saharicus. Apparently, two predator preferred different prey, and do not compete directly, paleontologists believe. Sauromys lived on the banks of a large river deltas, in a hot and humid environment, rich in fish and crocodiles. Probably, the abundance of food filmed the need to deal with other predators for survival.

The study is published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

Prepared according to National Geographic.