AsianScientist (Apr. 6, 2011) – T. rex’s long lost cousin may have just been discovered in China.
Paleontologists from Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, have just announced the discovery of Zhuchengtyrannus magnus, otherwise referred to as the “Tyrant from Zhucheng” or 山东诸城恐龙.
This ‘Tyrant’, which was not only one of the world’s largest carnivorous dinosaurs, was also a cousin of T. rex.
According to the findings, the newly named dinosaur species Zhuchengtyrannus magnus probably measured about 11 meters long, stood about four meters tall, and weighed close to six tons.
T. rex’s less-famous cousin was unearthed in the city of Zhucheng, Shandong province, eastern China, and is described in the latest issue of the journal Cretaceous Research. Its remains consist of a fossilized skull and jaw bones.
In life, as you can see from the drawing, this meat lover sported a mouth full of very sharp teeth, the better to bite into its victims.
Alongside T. rex and the Asian Tarbosaurus, Zhuchengtyrannus magnus is one of a specialized group of gigantic theropods called tyrannosaurines. The tyrannosaurines existed in North America and eastern Asia during the Late Cretaceous Period, which lasted from about 99 to 65 million years ago. The tyrannosaurines were characterized by small arms, two-fingered hands, and large powerful jaws that could have delivered a powerful bone-crushing bite. They were likely both predators and scavengers.
Lead Dr David Hone worked with Professor XU Xing at Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on this discovery.
Dr Hone explained, “Zhuchengtyrannus can be distinguished from other tyrannosaurines by a combination of unique features in the skull not seen in any other theropod”, “With only some skull and jaw bones to work with, it is difficult to precisely gauge the overall size of this animal, but the bones we have are just a few centimetres smaller than the equivalent ones in the largest T. rex specimen. So there is no doubt that Zhuchengtyrannus was a huge tyrannosaurine.”
Looking for dino bones?
The area surrounding the quarry in Shandong Province, eastern China where the ‘Tyrant’ was found contains one of the largest concentrations of dinosaur bones in the world. It is suggested that the region was a large flood plain, and that many dinosaur bodies were washed together during floods and fossilized.
The article can be found at: .
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Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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