Cariocecus bocagei

Cariocecus bocagei is an extinct species of hadrosauroid ornithopod dinosaurs known from the Early Cretaceous of what is now Portugal. C. bocagei is the only species in the genus Cariocecus. It is known from a partial skull that was discovered in 2016 and subsequently given a scientific name and description in 2025. This specimen represents the first iguanodontian skull to be found in the country.

The skull of Cariocecus has some unusual features. A large bony brow over the eye may have protected the eye from damage and sun glare. This bone was situated very low on the eye socket, giving the animal an 'eagle-eyed' appearance. The maxilla and jugal, two bones of the upper jaw, were strongly fused, unlike all other ornithopods. This might have allowed the animal to chew tougher materials compared to its relatives. Cariocecus was likely a close relative of two hadrosauroids from England, Brighstoneus and Comptonatus.

Cariocecus is known from the Papo Seco Formation, which dates to the Barremian age of the Cretaceous period. This formation has also yielded the remains of other dinosaurs, including the spinosaurid Iberospinus and fragmentary coelurosaurian theropods and titanosauriform sauropods, in addition to pterosaurs, turtles, crocodyliforms, fish, and aquatic shelled invertebrates. These fossils were deposited in a shallow marine to continental environment.