The Sauron dinosaur: Palaeontologists name beast after Tolkien's demonic creation after it is identified from just its eye-socket

Sauroniops pachytholus was one of four large predatory dinosaurs which lived in North Africa 95million years ago
Scientists estimate that it was as much as 40ft long and similar in shape but unrelated to Tyrannosaurus rex

By Damien Gayle

PUBLISHED: 06:46 EST, 7 November 2012 |

A species of flesh-ripping dinosaur has been named after the demonic Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings after palaeontologists classified it from just its eye-socket.

Sauroniops pachytholus - 'eye of Sauron' in Greek - was identified from a single fossil fragment of part of its upper skull found in the Kem Kem region of south-east Morocco in 2007.

As big as a Tyrannosaurus rex, the beast stalked North Africa around 95million years ago, according to a study published recently in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

Fearsome: This artist's impression shows Sauroniops pachytholus in the background feeding on a young Spinosaurus. Scientists estimate that the creature was 40ft long

Study leader Andrea Cau, of the Museo Geologico Giovanni Capellini in Bologna, Italy, said the fossil fragment used to describe the dinosaur included only part of its skull, including an eye socket.

'The idea of a predator that is physically known only as its fierce eye reminded me of Sauron, in particular as depicted in Peter Jackson's movies,' he told .

He and his team believe the fossil fragment belonged to a new type of carcharodontosaur, a species that includes some of the longest and heaviest known carnivorous dinosaurs.

'Sauroniops was a two-legged predator, quite similar to T. rex in general shape, although not closely related to the latter,' Dr Cau told MailOnline.

Piecing together the past: The fossilised fragment of skull that Andrea Cau and his colleagues used to identify the newly discovered dinosaur

By comparing the skull fragment with fossils from related species Dr Cau's team determined S. pachytholus was 40ft long.

However, without more fossils to go on, he admitted that it was impossible to give a precise estimate of the size of the creature.

Examination of the fossil revealed that S. pachytholus had a distinctive bump on its forehead, setting it apart from other creatures of the same species.

In their paper, Dr Cau's team speculated that this lumpy growth may have been used in head-butting clashes during mating displays.

Jigsaw identification: This image shows how the fragment would have fitted into the complete skull of the dinosaur. A human skull is shown for comparison

The find backs up a hypothesis that there were four large species of therapods living alongside each other in that part of Africa. Others include Carcharodontosaurus, Deltadromeus, and Spinosaurus.

'Sauroniops lived along the banks of a large delta, under a hot and warm climate, very rich of fishes and crocodiles,' Dr Cau told National Geographic.

'The abundance of food may explain the abundance of predatory dinosaurs.'