Acrocanthosaurus fossil map
Where fossils of Acrocanthosaurus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 115 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 115 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Theropods |
|---|---|
| Lived | 121.4–93.9 million years ago (Aptian to Cenomanian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Carcharodontosauridae |
| Named by | Stovall and Langston 1950 |
| Fossil records | 14 occurrences at 11 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | Antlers, Cloverly, Arundel Clay, Twin Mountains, Turney Ranch, Cedar Mountain |
About Acrocanthosaurus
Acrocanthosaurus ( AK-roh-KAN-thə-SOR-əs; lit. 'high-spined lizard') is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs that existed in what is now North America during the Barremian and early Cenomanian stages of the Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous, from 125 to 99.6 million years ago. Like most dinosaur genera, Acrocanthosaurus contains only a single species, A. atokensis. It had a continent-wide range, with fossil remains known from the U.S. states of Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming in the west and Maryland in the east. However, most of these remains are assigned to the species based on the assumption that Acrocanthosaurus is the only large carcharodontosaurid from North America during this time, and the possibility exists that some referred specimens could represent distinct taxa.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Acrocanthosaurus (revision 1375484086), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q131021.
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