Instructify

You need to talk to your students about Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis. If you don’t, they’ll have to learn about it from the packaging of some cheap plastic toy.

That’s right, paleontologists have found a new dinosaur. This new species is one of the largest carnivorous dinos ever, which is way cooler than if it they’d found an herbivore. These critters apparently roamed Africa 95 million years ago, along with Jurassic Park III star, Spinosaurus, which surely led to some thrilling territorial struggles.

Here’s your chance to use the automatic appeal of huge meat-eating reptiles to lure children into talking about comparatively drier subjects like climate change and geography – with today’s rising sea levels and warmer temperatures, how well would Carcharodontosaurus thrive today? It’s also an excuse to work on pronunciation – any kid who can sound out Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis deserves at least a little extra credit.

The discovery of Carcharodontosaurus is rife with educational opportunities. Don’t blow your chance to incorporate a cool topic like this into your lessons. Because kids shouldn’t learn about paleontology only at the toy store. -BILL FERRIS

New species is one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs ever to have lived via FossilScience.org