Synopsis: "In this story, we will follow the life of a male Carcharodontosaurus named Carson, and watch as he is raised from hatching to adult."

Somewhere between the Kem Kem Beds and Bahariya Formation/Morocco and Egypt

95 million years ago/Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous

Somewhere along the edge of a Cretaceous forest, bordered by open plains, in a nest made of sand, twigs and leaves, is a clutch of eggs. It is the end of the dry season, and there are already signs of life. Inside one egg, a tiny little creature is trying to break through its shell, escaping his egg chamber. He manages to break free of his egg and hatch right into the world, which he is welcomed to by a warming shine of sunlight. As for what species he is, he has small little ridges above his eyes, a pair of three-toed feet and three-fingered hands with claws each, really well-muscled arms, and a pair of jaws with sharp little teeth. This is a baby Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, one of the largest terrestrial carnivores to ever walk the Earth before Tyrannosaurus rex. A land-based killer. A meat-eater. A carnosaur. A relative of Mapusaurus, like Maple, but two or three times bigger, and, a cousin of Allosaurus, but four times bigger. A giant killer, with serrated teeth 16 centimeters long, measuring up to 13 meters long and weighing around 7 tons. He will be named Carson, and he'll be the one who will lead us around his forest and open plain home of 95 million years ago, to tell us, not only his story, but also the story of the dinosaurs that lived in the land that will one day eventually become North Africa. Right now, his brothers and sisters are also beginning to hatch from out of their eggs too. Together, they call out, confusing him. Just then, a huge male Carcharodontosaurus, having heard the squeaking of the hatchlings, approaches the nest. They are all at his mercy. Fortunately though, this is their father. Normally, he would have a mate with him, which would be their mother, to welcome them to the world, but sometime ago, after their eggs were laid, she was killed during a recent hunt. So, now, he is all there is to take care of them, until they're old enough to take care of themselves. For right now, Carson stumbles out of the nest to greet his father, awestruck by his size, who nuzzles him before doing the same to his siblings. For now, he can rely on his father's protection, but, within weeks, he will have to learn to stand on his own two feet. In about seven to eight years, he could become a gigantic predator like his father, but the odds on him surviving that long, right now, are low.

4 days later...

Carson and his siblings have been staying very close to the nest. But if anything, it is starting to become much less of a safe place to be. Nearby, a pair of predatory Deltadromeus agilis watch the brood, waiting for their chance. The father Carcharodontosaurus is about three to four times their size, so they will not venture too close while he is present. However, the smell of all these new hatchlings will soon attract other larger predators. So eventually, the father decides that it is time to lead his unruly brood away.

1 hour later…

Carson's family has arrived at their new home; an ancient lakeside, with trees and wide-open spaces, that will one day become the Sahara Desert of Egypt. Here is where all the other species of characters roam and spend most of their days. This is where Carson and his siblings will likely be relatively safe, until, one day, they'll be old enough to take care of themselves. Right now, they're eager to explore their new home, while their father rests in the shade nearby.

Carson looks out over the lake at its shoreline. He doesn't know it just yet, but one day, he will rule this huge and expansive area as one of Africa's biggest and deadliest hunters. Meanwhile, while two of his siblings are playing tug-of-war with a twig, one of his brothers is drinking from the shoreline of the lake and one of his sisters is trying to catch a lizard to eat. Just then, as he walks down the shoreline, Carson finds himself confronted by and facing down another Deltadromeus. This one, though, is only just a juvenile, but even so, he's still larger than Carson and his siblings and would easily kill any of them if he gets the chance. But suddenly, just as he prepares to attack and eat Carson, he, himself, is attacked and grabbed by something and is pulled right offscreen. It is then revealed that he has been caught and now killed and eaten by another one of the biggest terrestrial, and semi-aquatic, carnivores that has ever walked the planet before T-rex.

Enter Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. 17 meters (60 ft) long, 11 feet tall, and weighing up to 10 - 11 tons, it rivals Carcharodontosaurus, its relative, Giganotosaurus from South America, and even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex from North America, in size. It, too, is one of Africa's largest predators, the first of which, and, in addition to its two primary weapons, it's long, well-muscled arms with three sharp, curved clawed fingered hands and it's long, crocodile-like snout with sharp, serrated teeth, that are straight and conical, this colossal carnivore is easily recognized and well-known by the large circular-rounded sail on its back, which gives it its name, and which it uses to attract mates, deter rivals, and regulate its body temperature.

Since the Deltadromeus was only a juvenile, it wasn't much of a meal, and so, the Spinosaurus decides to head off to find food elsewhere. For Carson, a very close call. And a lucky brush-with-death escape. He rejoins his siblings as they all head back to their father.

5 weeks later...

The Carcharodontosaurus family have settled in well in their new home and around their new surroundings, and have even built a new nest, where Carson and his siblings shall be relatively safe.

While their father is out hunting, the youngsters busy and entertain themselves with play-fighting to practice and perfect their hunting skills for when the time comes that they'll be ready to hunt independently for their own survival. Carson and two of his brothers wrestle with each other and two of his sisters play tug-of-war with a twig while the rest of his siblings are resting in the shade. The moment they hear their father calling to them, after he's hopefully made a kill, they immediately break from what they're doing and come skittering out from the underbrush to him.

When they arrive, it turns out that he has brought down a young Ouranosaurus nigeriensis, a large, mid-sized genus of ornithopod dinosaur, that looks like a mixed basal form of between a hadrosaur, or duck-billed dinosaur, and an iguanodont, a much older type of plant-eating dinosaur, with a sail on its back, just like Spinosaurus, which it uses for the same reasons as. Since it's just a youngster, it won't be too much of a meal for him, but it will keep Carson and his siblings fed for a couple of days as they begin to feed on it, and it could last them all for, at least, about a whole week.

3 months later...

3 months have passed, and Carson and his siblings have now more than quadrupled in body size. They are each now about 3 meters long, and also a bit less than three quarters the size of their father. They are each now reaching the prime of their lives, and to prove that, they will begin their first hunt today. A herd of Ouranosaurus is grazing and browsing nearby, and the family begin to stalk them from a distance, downwind of them, so they are all unaware of the danger closeby. But no one seems quite willing to make the first move. At least, almost, no one. Being both the eldest and most confident of his siblings, in any of theirs or his father's stead, Carson dares to take on the challenge of the hunt today.

He begins to move slowly towards them trying to be as quiet as he possibly can, with the exception of the sounds of his footsteps and hissing of his breath. His father and siblings watch him carefully. These creatures are smaller than they are, but they're not easy to take down. Carson will likely fail, unless he finds their weak point and quickly overpowers one.

He gets as close as he possibly can, still unnoticed, then, once he feels that he is within striking distance, he breaks cover, roaring fiercely, and springs into action! Just as the Ouranosaurus begin to scatter, Carson manages to get a hold of one by the neck and holds on tight to it with his hand claws. The Ouranosaurus struggles haplessly to free itself from the jaws of Carson, but he refuses to let go and then manages to snap its neck as the herbivore falls on its side dead.

For Carson, this is his first successful hunt. He places his foot on his kill and roars victoriously.

His father and siblings are very impressed and they approach him. Carson's father proudly nuzzles his son to offer his congratulations. This is his way of showing that he approves Carson as an experienced and skillful hunter. His siblings also congratulate their older brother by nuzzling him too, before they all then begin to feed on the Ouranosaurus carcass. It will be another five more months before Carson and his siblings will eventually leave their father for good and be able to live and hunt on their own.

1 year later…. (Carson's First Year)

Carson now hunts alone, with only one of his brothers and two of his sisters for companionship. They have left their father, and have parted ways with the rest of their siblings, and are now thriving well. Right now, they are expanding their home territory, which includes mostly forests and plains. And whilst doing so, since it's been a week since they last fed, they are also searching for a new meal for the day. There's a wide variety of choices to make in these forests and on these plains. Nearby, they notice a mother Deltadromeus attending her nest mound which could prove promising. But the small Carcharodontosaurus and his siblings are about to find out they are no match for an overprotective mother. The Deltadromeus snarls, hisses and growls at them as she attempts to ward them off. Knowing better than to get too close, the pack walks off to find something else that'll prove more promising.

Nearby, a herd of Aegyptosaurus baharijensis are crashing through the outer forest and out onto the open plains, looking for new plant growth. Not exactly suitable prey for Carson and his siblings.

Back among the trees, Carson and his siblings have picked up the scent of something that could help them with their huge appetites, and after about 10 minutes of searching, they finally come upon a dead titanosaurid sauropod, being feasted upon by a pack of Rugops primus, a 30 foot long Abelisaurid, out in the open, and decide to attempt to steal it from them. While the Rugops are busy feeding, Carson approaches them with his brother and sisters and gets their attention with a bellowing roar. The pack is none too pleased to see them and try to heat them off with a warning of hisses and growls, but Carson will not stand for this and he asserts his dominance, forcing them all away from the carcass with the help of his younger brother. He then aggressively bellows out a series of growls and roars at the Rugops, and forces them to back off. He gives out one last mighty roar as a warning to them, before turning his attention to the carcass as his siblings perfect it. The Rugops are deeply angered and dismayed by this, but, unfortunately, they know that there is nothing they could do about it. So, they decide to come back at a later date to reclaim their share once their larger rivals have had their fill and eventually leave. For now at least, Carson and his younger brother and sisters begin to feed upon the carcass of the dead titanosaurid.

2 years later…. (Carson's Third Year)

2 more years have passed, and a herd of Ouranosaurus are feeding on the lush vegetation around the lakeside, and watching them from the forest edge within the trees is Carson and his brother and sisters. He is now 3 years old, and has now grown into a young adolescent male, with his younger brother and one of his younger sisters at the age of 2, and his other younger sister, at the age of 1. They all lock onto their chosen target; an unwary individual that has wandered away from the rest of the herd. As the alpha male of his sibling pack, Carson will start the hunt off alone, and then give his younger siblings the special signal by his command to join in and help him out with the rest.

Whenever he is on the prowl, Carson knows when not to rush. He knows that his opponents usually take turns posting as lookouts in this vicinity. Fortunately though, none of the lookouts have him just yet, though it's only a matter of time before any of them do. Carson's target doesn't sense him approaching nearby, and instead focuses on eating the patch of low-lying vegetation that it is currently grazing upon. It's the perfect opportunity for Carson and his pack to capture their next meal. So, he seizes it and comes bursting out of the trees and rushes straight towards his quarry! By the time the Ouranosaurus notices him, it's too late. Carson latches onto its neck with his jaws and teeth and grasps and holds onto and slashes it with his arms and hand claws. Once he gives them the signal, his siblings also come running out of the trees and join the attack. One of Carson's sisters clamps her jaws down on the Ouranosaurus' hip region while the other one bites down on its tail and his brother grabs its left arm with his jaws. The Carcharodontosaurus siblings use their strength to pin the struggling dinosaur as they wrestle it to the ground, and then Carson finally makes the killing bow. They have perfected another kill, and begin to feed on the carcass.

By now, the scent of blood has wafted through the forest and across the plains. The hungry Deltadromeuses that have just arrived, won't miss this opportunity. And they're not alone, as they are not the only ones that've been attracted here by this plentiful bounty. A hungry trio of Rugops have been attracted here by the irresistible opportunity for food. As scavengers, these smaller carnivores never pass up an opportunity to bring themselves to a feast. But even these uninvited visitors respect Carson and his siblings' position as one of the apex predators of this environment. They know they must wait for them to finish their meal before they start any of theirs. Eventually, the Carcharodontosaurus siblings have eaten their fill and they abandon the carcass for the smaller scavengers to pick over. Carson and his siblings will now be able to go for more than a week or so without hunting. Carson and his siblings have been having a lucky day. Likewise for the Deltadromeuses and Rugops, who can all now devour this bounty together.

1 year later…. (Carson's Fourth Year)

A year passes, and many of the forests' and plains' permanent residents are going about their usual daily life routines and doing their normal everyday activities. But with one group of species in particular, it's something a little different this time. Nearby, a familiar face shows up. Carson is now 4 years old, and right now, he is currently pulling and carrying a large tree branch in his jaws to somewhere in the center of his territory. When he reaches and comes upon his final destination, the reason becomes clear on why he's brought it all the way here; he and his brother and sisters are building themselves a lair, and their new nest as well. Like all apex predators with a territory, they need a perfect spot in it where they can live and sleep in, as well as, eventually, raise a family in, one day. And like most modern-day birds and reptiles, dinosaurs like them gather materials and debris that they need to build their nests.

Their den, or lair, is well-chosen, it is up on higher ground, and so, has exceptional views of its surroundings. While his brother and one of his sisters stay behind to modify and fortify their new lair up a bit, Carson and his other sister head back out to collect and gather more building materials and debris for it, as well as their nest. They will all take it in turns finding and bringing back debris and fortifying the lair until it is finally finished.

3 years later…. (Carson's Seventh Year)

3 more years have passed, and somewhere in the midst of a bone-ridden desert, all is quiet. Then suddenly, a large foot stomps down onto the ground. Its owner is Carson, who is now 7 years old, and has now grown into a teenager. His younger siblings, on the other hand, are at the ages of 5 and 6. Right now, they are not hunting. Carson is currently patrolling and expanding his and his pack's territory while his younger siblings are all back at their newly-built lair, which they've finished by the way, guarding it. As previously mentioned before, Carcharodontosaurus, like Carson, is a cousin of Allosaurus, but four times bigger. With serrated teeth 16 centimeters long, Carcharodontosaurus was a giant killer. Up to 13 meters long and weighing around 7 tons. Like Spinosaurus, it too was bigger than T-rex. Big predators need big hunting ranges. Carcharodontosaurus may have needed up to 500 square kilometers each, making competition for the best hunting grounds intense. Right now, Carson is seen confronting and roaring at a rival young male, which is invading on and challenging for his territory, as well as this new huge expanse of land beyond that Carson is planning on making a new part of which. These young male Carcharodontosaurus both want supremacy over this territory. Dominating the land is the key to survival for these killers. And that can mean a fight to the death. The two dinosaurs confronted and circled each other, roaring and snarling fiercely, before they charge at each other and began to fight. They head-butted each other and wrestled before letting go. Then, the two belligerents started attacking one another by biting and scratching each other with their sharp teeth and claws. Shortly afterwards, eventually, the challenger admits defeat and backs down and leaves Carson's territory, along with the new huge expanse of land as well, which Carson now claims as part of his territory as he fiercely roars out to his rival. The evidence of in-fighting between carnivores of the same species is dramatic. Forensic examinations of fossils has uncovered injuries on the skull bones of many large carnivores. Tooth puncture marks and gouges are remarkably common. Such violent head-and-face-biting is thought likely to be territorial.

With so much to gain, fights over prime hunting territory would be commonplace. In the forest, a herd of Ouranosaurus are seen grazing and browsing. Nearby, Carson walks into the forest. For him, as the victorious Carcharodontosaurus, the prize is the hunting rights to these Ouranosaurs. Not an easy prey to catch, even for the fastest of predators. But we think Carcharodontosaurus has a hidden advantage. In 2008, detailed bone analysis suggested these dinosaurs employed a system of air sacs. Air sacs are used in breathing. They ensure that oxygen-rich air flows continually through the lungs when breathing in and out. It's a very efficient system, similar to that of birds. It implied that dinosaurs like Carcharodontosaurus were highly-active hunters. And they needed to be. It's reckoned that a dinosaur of this size would need to eat a minimum of 60 kilos of meat every day simply to survive.

Big hunters rely on ambushing their prey. Carson stalks the herd from close by and then locks onto his usual target; the unwary one that has wandered off from the rest. Closing as much distance between it and its chosen victim. As he closes in, the Ouranosaurus then notices Carson and immediately runs off as Carson quickly chases after his target. The rest of the herd watches as their member is chased. As Carson chases the Ouranosaurus out of the forest and into the desert, he catches up and attacks the Ouranosaurus and mortally wounds it with his teeth and claws before then strangely letting it go and allowing it to limp away. Carson doesn't waste energy chasing the injured animal. His initial attack has critically wounded the Ouranosaurus. And now, he simply needs to follow and wait. As the Ouranosaurus limps away, rather than risk injury, Carson follows, waiting patiently for the victim to succumb to its wounds. When it finally does, the wounded basal hadrosaur collapses and slumps onto the ground, having finally succumbed to its injuries, and Carson delivers the final killing blow (coup de grace) and then begins to feast on the corpse of the Ouranosaurus. Carcharodontosaurus were deadly killers, but not in the way you might expect. Its skull was relatively weak. And computer analysis has shown that they're unlikely to be strong enough to hold onto struggling prey. Their teeth were thin, like knives, too weak to bite easily through bone. But they were sharp, with deadly serrations, just like a shark's. The very name Carcharodontosaurus means "shark-toothed lizard". We think it used its skull and teeth to slash deep into the flesh of its prey, causing massive injury and blood loss.

Delivered at speed, such an attack could kill without the need for an intense struggle. It's an efficient killing method and one that's perfectly suited to this environment. Carson continues feeding on his prize, and he will eat as much as he can to regain his strength, before taking the rest of it back with him to his lair to share with his siblings.

2 years later…. (Carson's Ninth Year)

95 million years ago, this was a dry and difficult place to survive. A herd of Ouranosaurus was seen feeding nearby, when one of them then notices something. Food and water were hard to come by and often only found in one place. Along the banks of a river that has earned the name, "River of Giants". A massive herd of sauropods has come down to the river to drink, as the Ouranosaurus herd moves on. This is Paralititan stromeri, a 45-ton animal, and the undisputed heavyweight here. For an animal this size, it's not easy to keep cool, so being near water is vital. Soon, the herd of Paralititan begin to drink from the river to quench their thirst after their long migration here, and to help regulate their body temperature as well. But as you and I know, rivers are dangerous places. As they continue to drink from here, the herd remains wary, they know very well that this is definitely a good place for an ambush of any kind.

Then, as one Paralititan is drinking, suddenly, from out of nowhere, a crocodile lunges out and frightens it, before being backed up by the rest of its entire float. Spooked by them, the herd makes a tactical retreat as the crocodiles close in on them, but then, a juvenile Paralititan gets stuck in a pit of mud and begins to panic in distress. This is not a good place for a young animal to get stuck. And it's not just because of these crocodiles. As they begin to close in on the struggling youngster, something else, closely related to them, though much larger, is also lurking nearby in the water. This river holds much, much bigger threats. Just then, another crocodile, a different species, and much larger than the rest, crawls out of the water, attracted to the sounds of the struggling youngster. It may look familiar, but this was no ordinary crocodile. With a skull nearly 2 meters long, it's more than twice the size of any modern Croc. This was Sarcosuchus imperator. Displaying its authority, it shows its supremacy by warding and scaring off the other crocodiles, before it then proceeds to close in on the trapped young Paralititan. Weighing as much as 8 tons, it's the undisputed king of crocodiles. A cold-blooded killer. And if it can drag it's prey into the water and drown it, even better. But even for a deadly predator like this, the River of Giants holds dangers. And here, in Africa, there is nowhere to hide.

It then waited for a moment before finally attacking, biting down viciously on one of the juvenile Paralititan's hind legs, causing it to screech in pain, as it tried to pull it out of the mud and drag it into the river.

Things are about to get even worse for the young Paralititan. Nearby, a familiar face shows up. Around the River of Giants, there is another killer. Carcharodontosaurus. And in this case, Carson. He is now 9 years old, and although he is much bigger than he once was before, he's still not yet fully-grown, and it will be another 10 more years before he is. Right now, he is currently back on the prowl for another meal, while his siblings are all put in charge of guarding their lair, and eyes the incident. A predator like him always looks for the easiest kill; the weak, injured or young. The Paralititan is all three. Carson then clamps his jaws onto the young dinosaur's neck as he and the Sarcosuchus then pull it out of the mud. Both carnivores then wrestle each other for the youngster. In such a deadly game of tug-of-war, there can only be one winner. And eventually, Carson manages to win by wrestling the young Paralititan from the Sarcosuchus as it lost its grip and reluctantly retreats back to the river. Carson then drags the juvenile back onto land, where it collapses and he pins it with his foot, ready to make the final killing blow. But however, he's about to find out that his victory was short-lived. Upon seeing this, instead of fleeing and abandoning it, the rest of the Paralititan herd intervenes by rallying together and approaching Carson menacingly in order to defend their child and drive him off. But Carson won't give up his well hard-earned catch so easily, and so turns to face the herd. But the kill is still not certain. Carson the Carcharodontosaurus can tackle this youngster, but a herd of 45-ton adults is another matter. Carson snarls as he stares upon the herd as they menacingly approach him. And so, while he is distracted, the juvenile Paralititan gets back and quickly makes a break for it by limping away as fast as he can. Knowing that attempting to ward off a herd of adult Paralititan would be suicidal, Carson also knew that, for him, this is now too dangerous, and so, wisely backs down and leaves the area. Injured, but alive, this youngster has a lucky escape. Encounters like this have left tantalizing clues behind. Amongst the bones of a Paralititan, we have found a Carcharodontosaurus tooth, suggesting a predator-prey relationship.

4 years later…. (Carson's Thirteenth Year)

At age 13, Carson has now grown into a young adult, while his younger brother and sisters are each at the ages of 12 and 11. Right now, they are currently on the hunt.

At this time of year, in Spring, large herds of herbivores, mostly titanosaurid sauropods, like Paralititan, and basal hadrosaur ornithopods, like Ouranosaurus, gather to feed on the new plant growth of these vast open plains along the edge of the forest that create excellent feeding grounds for them. But where there are large numbers of plant eaters…. there are great hunters, or meat eaters. Carson and his siblings watch from close by, observing the herds and probing for any opportunities. Like most predators, their kind usually ambush their prey. But with so many watching eyes, they know that this is not the right time to attack. They'll wait for nightfall, and the cover of darkness, which will give them an advantage over their prey.

Several hours later….

As darkness falls, some of the herds that had been grazing and browsing out in the open retreat into the forest for shelter. Now, the odds switch in favor of the predators, like Carson and his siblings, who are resting nearby. Carson wakes up and slowly and silently gets to his feet. All predatory theropod dinosaurs like them have relatively much larger eyes than their prey, which gives them superb low-light vision, but only somewhat better than that of their prey. Carson gently nudges his brother, waking him up. His brother yawns and gets to his feet. Carson and his brother then nuzzle their sisters, who also wake up and get to their feet. Soon, they're on the prowl, once again. And like all their cousins and relatives, they're able to move through the forest in near-silence, thanks to cushioned pads on their feet.

They come upon a group of Ouranosaurus grazing in the forest. They lack armor, but they're less than 1 half the size of Carcharodontosaurus, and twice as fast. But it's still thanks to its hidden advantage of breathing techniques that Carcharodontosaurus is still able to catch them. Still, to catch one, in these types of conditions, needs cunning. Each of the sibling hunters carefully moves into position. Then, one of them, Carson, deliberately makes a noise. The Ouranosaurus are officially alarmed. They now know that hunters are close, but they don't know exactly where they are out there in the darkness. Time to spring the trap.

Both of Carson's sisters rush out! They chase the Ouranosaurs straight to where they want them! The herd panics, and bolts to where Carson and his brother are waiting…. in ambush. They burst out of hiding and Carson gets a hold of one by the neck. Then, they all work together to knock over their prey and pin it down so they can make the final killing blow. The rest of the herd continues running for their lives without looking back.

A perfectly executed plan. Now, another meal has been provided for Carson and his siblings. He grabs it in his jaws by the base of its neck and he and his brother and sisters take their kill back to their lair, where they can eat it in safety and peace.

4 years later…. (Carson's Seventeenth Year)

Four more years have passed, and for all the region's dinosaurs, it is a very special time of year; it is the mating season, and there are many signs that love is already in the air. This is the time of year when the forests and plains become very lively.

When it's time to mate, each male of every species must do whatever it takes to win the affections of the females.

In the Paralititan herd, males start to display by rocking back on their tails and standing on their hind legs to impress potential mates, but soon enough, when too many males start doing it, occasionally, fights break out. With creatures this size, the forces at work during these confrontations are colossal. Enough to shatter ribs and shake the ground. The males engage in shouting matches, followed by necking, like modern Giraffes, pushing and shoving. That's usually bloodless.

And in the Ouranosaurus herd, Since male Ouranosaurus outnumber females, they must go through a fierce competition to win the affections of a female. They bellow and grunt at each other and even peck one another with their duck-like bills. The more vicious ones might even either stab their competitors with the spike-like claws on their thumbs or lash their competitors with their tails.

Those males of both species who will be victorious in the end will win the right to mate.

Meanwhile, Carson is also prepared for the mating season. At age 17, he has now finally reached sexual maturity. For him and his brother and sisters, who are now at ages 16 and 15, this season signals the chance for them to create and raise a family of their very own. He proceeds to head off into the wilds of his homeland in search of a mate, leaving his brother and sisters to safely guard and patrol their nest and lair until he gets back. Since he, alone, along with his siblings, dominates such a huge range of 500 square kilometers of territory, he must travel quite some distance, and for quite some time, in order to find a female with whom to mate.

5 days later...

After spending 5 days searching for a mate, Carson's efforts are about to finally pay off. He detects the mating call of a female Carcharodontosaurus that continues to echo throughout the forests and plains, and has heard them loud and clear. And so, he responds to her calls by returning them to let her know that she has been heard, before picking up his gift for her in his jaws, a kill of a young teenaged Ouranosaurus that he recently made a couple days back, and continuing on his way to her.

Eventually, After following the female's response for about 7 minutes, he finally finds her at last. She is standing on the outskirts of his territory, as she has waited for who she attracted here to arrive. She's about the same age and size as Carson, and just as powerful. Now, Carson just has to impress her by showing off his best possible moves to win her over. She seems interested, but he can sense, and knows, that she is wary. So, a little persuasion might have to be necessary. Carson knows that there's no guarantee that he'll be successful, but he is determined. But he knows that he still needs to be careful. Because he also knows that if she misjudges the approach, it could all be over in a matter of seconds. He must first prove to her that he has what it takes when it comes to producing the next generation. In addition to being a prize from a recent hunt and a gift to appease her, the dead teenaged Ouranosaurus also suggests that he is a good hunter, and carrying it all the way here has proved that he's a strong male. Then, he begins to perform a type of courtship mating dance. She watches him carefully. He slowly bobs his head up and down and produces a deep romping sound, before bowing down and raising his tail up and swaying from side to side. Then, he raises his head up all the way and also makes a soothing vibrating with his throat. His mesmerizing movement and deep romping calls seem to be eliciting the right response, thus impressing her. And she mirrors his courtship dance. But the ultimate sign of trust is exposing his neck. At last, she shows him that she accepts him as a mate by gently rubbing his face with hers and gently brushing her neck on his. And they both make a type of deep low rumbling sound as they nuzzle each other. They form their relationship, and then, Carson places his gift for her at her feet and then gives her some space. The female inspects his present for a few seconds and then begins to feed from it, as she has accepted him for who and what he is. Even so, until she finishes eating the teenaged Ouranosaurus, Carson still keeps his distance. When she finally does, Carson and his new mate then head off together.

4 hours later….

After a long, 5-day journey, Carson and his new wife have returned to his nest and lair. And so, Carson then introduces his younger brother and sisters to his mate. She greets them each with a gentle nuzzle. This is her way of showing that she approves them, along with Carson, as a trustworthy family.

Later that evening, Carson and his new wife begin to mate. And this is the beginning of his life-long contribution to fatherhood. They will keep doing this for about the next few weeks, until she is fully well-fertilized. Eventually, in the not too distant future, she will soon lay a large clutch of eggs that, in about 2 months time after that, will hatch into a whole new generation of Carcharodontosaurus.

2 years later…. (Carson's Nineteenth Year)

Two months ago, each species of dinosaur laid a foundation for the future. And so, as a result, lots of the eggs that have been laid have hatched. The Paralititan nesting ground is once again teeming with new life; up to thousands more of hatchlings. Without their mothers' protection, they will have to go it alone and immediately fend for themselves, staying completely safe and well-hidden, until they're both big and old enough to join their herd.

The Ouranosaurus nesting grounds are also full of new life. The young from last year have grown, and test out their newfound strength. But in one nest, its clutch of eggs were not so lucky, except for three. The nest's owner is a Deltadromeus, she has been committed to making sure that her offspring survive, though, unfortunately, all of her eggs, except three, have either been eaten through or stolen to eat by egg thieves. But, after two months of care and patience, she notices a little movement in the only three that have survived. Finally, they hatch. After everything she had been through, the Deltadromeus has managed to bring a trio of valuable new lives into the world.

In Carson's lair, there are also signs of new life. By age 19, Carson is now fully grown and weighs 7 tons. His mate is the same as him. and his younger brother and sisters are at the ages of 18 and 17. Against the odds, Carson and his mate have managed to produce three offspring. They're all about ten weeks old, and can already move around quite well. Carson's brother and sisters are now the proud aunts and uncle of his children, and it will be their job to guard and protect them whenever he and his mate are off hunting. Carcharodontosaurus was one of the undisputed top predators of Africa, and dominated its forests and plains for 95 million years. But by about 93, it eventually became extinct. And the reason for that is simple; When many of the large herbivores it preyed upon, like Paralititan, vanished from Africa, 93 million years ago, Carcharodontosaurus followed. In fact, no matter what time period, wherever giant plant-eaters have been discovered, it appears a giant predator lived alongside them. From North America, to Europe, to Asia, to Africa, to South America, we see the same predator-prey relationship repeated. They complete a global picture, a pattern that is repeated across the world. In Asia, we find Mamenchisaurus and Sinraptor. In Europe, Ornithopsis and Neovenator. In North America, Diplodocus and Allosaurus, as well as Sauroposeidon and Acrocanthosaurus. And finally, in Africa, Paralititan and Carcharodontosaurus. For every giant plant-eater, we find a giant predator living side by side. And it's in South America, where we have two of the biggest of all; Argentinosaurus and Mapusaurus. It appears that all of these extinctions were linked, and this story is repeated time and again. When the giant sauropods died out, the giant predators lost their main food supply, and they, too, were doomed. So, until that happens, for now at least, Carson and his family will protect and raise their young, and also teach them how to hunt, until they're old enough to hunt with them and, eventually, live by themselves. And also, become one of the most incredible giant predators that has ever existed on our Prehistoric Planet.

(The End)

Next time on Dinosaur Life, the story shall be all about a male Giganotosaurus named Grayson, and discuss his life struggles about becoming the largest predator of South America.

Author's Note:

"To discover the science behind the stories, go now to the Dinosaur Life show page."

"Also, the part where the juvenile Deltadromeus that was about to eat Carson was attacked, killed and eaten by the Spinosaurus is a little something inspired from animaladventures1314's Planet of the Dinosaurs on YouTube as Ryan the Raptor Guy."

Information from: Monsters Resurrected (2009) and Planet Dinosaur (2011)

Inspiration from: Dinosaur Media and Others