Pronunciation: sor-on-ee-ops
Meaning: The Eye of Sauron
Author/s: Cau et al. (2012)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Taouz, Morocco
Discovery Chart Position: #796
Sauroniops pachytholus
Sauroniops pachytholus is based on a partial, extra thick skull roof, purchased from a
Moroccan fossil dealer and donated to the MPM by a mystery donor, which was mentioned in Cau and colleague's "Evidence of a new carcharodontosaurid from the Upper Cretaceous
of Morocco" in 2012. At the time, they thought it "inappropriate" to erect a
new taxon, partly because it was found by locals and its exact horizon and locality were uncertain, and partly because they weren't quite sure which class of dinosaur it belonged to. But they didn't think it inappropriate for long.
Initially, the authors couldn't decide if they were looking at the fossils of an abelisaurid with carcharodontosaurid features or a carcharodontosaurid with abelisaurid features. But they eventually plumped for the latter, noting particular similarities to Eocarcharia, and a mere two months later, Sauroniops pachytholus — from the same area as, of similar proportions to, but apparently not a representative of, Carcharadontosaurus — was coined. Despite aspersions being cast on its validity by Ibrahim et al., who have insisted that all carcharodontosaurian material from Morocco's Kem Kem beds belongs to a single species, pretty much since day one, Sauroniops was confirmed as a valid taxon, distinct from Carcharodontosaurus and with an inferred body size comparable to the largest carcharodontosaurids, after the description of more Kem Kem skull material by Paterna and Cau in 2022. This new material was also distinct from Carcharodontosaurus but can't currently be assigned to Sauroniops either.
As is often the case with thick-skulled critters, some experts think Sauroniops was a "headbanger", butting noggins with rivals for mating rights just like muskoxen and bighorn sheep. We're not sure why these critters would bang heads when they could just bite each other's snouts off, and suspect instead that the most spectacular display — the biggest and gnarliest skull roof, perhaps brightly coloured or maybe even plumed — attracted the hottest ladies. Hey, there's no accounting for taste!
Initially, the authors couldn't decide if they were looking at the fossils of an abelisaurid with carcharodontosaurid features or a carcharodontosaurid with abelisaurid features. But they eventually plumped for the latter, noting particular similarities to Eocarcharia, and a mere two months later, Sauroniops pachytholus — from the same area as, of similar proportions to, but apparently not a representative of, Carcharadontosaurus — was coined. Despite aspersions being cast on its validity by Ibrahim et al., who have insisted that all carcharodontosaurian material from Morocco's Kem Kem beds belongs to a single species, pretty much since day one, Sauroniops was confirmed as a valid taxon, distinct from Carcharodontosaurus and with an inferred body size comparable to the largest carcharodontosaurids, after the description of more Kem Kem skull material by Paterna and Cau in 2022. This new material was also distinct from Carcharodontosaurus but can't currently be assigned to Sauroniops either.
As is often the case with thick-skulled critters, some experts think Sauroniops was a "headbanger", butting noggins with rivals for mating rights just like muskoxen and bighorn sheep. We're not sure why these critters would bang heads when they could just bite each other's snouts off, and suspect instead that the most spectacular display — the biggest and gnarliest skull roof, perhaps brightly coloured or maybe even plumed — attracted the hottest ladies. Hey, there's no accounting for taste!
(Thick-domed eye of Sauron)Etymology
Sauroniops is derived from "Sauron" and the Greek "-ops" (eye). Sauron is the big, nasty glowing eye from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. "He does not allow his name to be written or spoken", according to Aragorn, but Andrea Cau, Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia and Matteo Fabbri didn't take a blind bit of notice! The Greek "-ops" can also mean "face". The species epithet, pachytholus, is derived from the
Greek "pakhys" (thick) and "tholos" (dome), referring to its domed skull.
ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:68E8E4A7-DA4B-40DC-8C40-4683240281BF.
Discovery
The remains of Sauroniops were discovered in the "Kem Kem beds", Southeast of Taouz, Errachidia Province, Meknès-Tafilalet Region (one of the sixteen regions of Morocco), north-central Morocco.
The holotype (MPM 2594) is a thickened skull roof.
