Title: Unveiled: A Horrifying New Dinosaur Species in Pre-WWII Snapshots, According to Paleontologists
Paleontologists may have unearthed a new dinosaur species, even if its fossil no longer exists. Researchers from Munich, Germany, recently claimed to have identified a new predatory dinosaur species in an unexpected manner. As detailed in a study published in the journal PLOS one on January 14, they analyzed a 95-million-year-old reptile through pre-World War II archival photographs.
Oliver Rauhut from the Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology, who participated in the study, stated in his institution's statement, "Presumably, the dinosaur fauna of North Africa was more diverse than we previously thought. This work shows that it's worthwhile for paleontologists to dig not only in the ground but also in old archives."
In 1914, fossil collector Richard Markgraf excavated a partial skeleton in Egypt's Bahariya Oasis, sending the remains to paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach in Munich. Stromer categorized the dinosaur as a member of the genus Carcharodontosaurus, a group of massive meat-eating dinosaurs that inhabited North Africa around 99 to 94 million years ago.
Approximately three decades later, an Allied air raid on Munich destroyed parts of the collection, including Stromer's original Carcharodontosaurus specimen. The only remnants were illustrations, a few photos, and Stromer's notes. However, in 2025, paleontologist Maximilian Kellermann, a master's student at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, discovered more archival photos of the 1914 fossil. These photographs depicted parts of the fossil's skull, spine, and hind legs, and revealed a significant difference.
The team led by Kellmann, Rauhut, and Elena Cuesta dissected the images, finding that the Egyptian dinosaur fossil depicted there differed significantly from more recent Carcharodontosaurus finds in Morocco. Stromer's original classification was therefore incorrect. The researchers named the previously unknown predator species Tameryraptor markgrafi.
The name "Tameryraptor" derives from the ancient Egyptian name for Egypt, "beloved land" ("ta-mery"), and the Latin term "raptor" meaning "thief". "Markgrafi" honors the fossil collector.
From the photographs, the team determined that T. markgrafi would have measured around 10 meters long, making it one of the largest known carnivores to walk the Earth and featuring a noteworthy nasal horn as well as symmetrical teeth. Furthermore, they found that the giant reptile was related to the North African Carcharodontosaurs, the group it was originally categorized as, as well as South American Carcharodontosaurs and Metriacanthosaurs—a group of predatory dinosaurs from Asia.
However, the team acknowledges that accurately identifying a new species based solely on illustrations and old black-and-white images raises questions. Typically, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature advises against designating material only known from descriptions and illustrations, but the researchers argued that the case of Tameryraptor markgrafi is so exceptional that a nomenclatorial act is justified.
Is it possible that future excavations will reveal physical evidence of T. markgrafi? For now, this may serve as another example of how old photographs can lead to groundbreaking discoveries in the field of paleontology.
The discovery of the new dinosaur species, named Tameryraptor markgrafi, has opened up possibilities about the diversity of dinosaur fauna in North Africa's past. Advancements in science and technology, such as image analysis and digital reconstruction techniques, have made it possible to identify specimens based on archival photographs, which could potentially lead to more discoveries in the future.
