Acrocanthosaurus

dinosaur · predator · cretaceous · spine

Spiky backbone. Acrocanthosaurus had tall spines sticking up from its backbone, which gave it a mohawk-like look down its back. Scientists think these spines might have helped it attract mates or show off to other dinosaurs.

North American giant. This dinosaur roamed across a huge area of what is now the United States, from the eastern coast in Maryland all the way to the western states like Oklahoma and Wyoming. It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 125 to 99.6 million years ago.

Shark-toothed hunter. Acrocanthosaurus belonged to a special group of meat-eaters called carcharodontosaurs, which means 'shark-toothed lizards' because their teeth were similar to shark teeth. It used these sharp teeth to hunt other dinosaurs.

Massive predator. This was one of the largest and most powerful dinosaurs living in North America at its time, making it the top hunter in its environment. Most fossils scientists have found are thought to be from Acrocanthosaurus, though they cannot be completely certain about every bone.