New Species Of Dinosaur Discovered That 'rewrites' T.rex Family Tree

Scientists person discovered a caller type of dinosaur - successful nan postulation of a Mongolian depository - that they opportunity "rewrites" nan evolutionary history of tyrannosaurs.

Researchers concluded that 2 86 million-year-old skeletons they studied belonged to a type that is now nan closest known ancestor of each tyrannosaurs - nan group of predators that includes nan iconic T.rex.

The researchers named nan type Khankhuuluu (pronounced khan-KOO-loo) mongoliensis, meaning Dragon Prince of Mongolia.

The discovery, published successful Nature, is simply a model into really tyrannosaurs evolved to go powerful predators that terrorised North America and Asia until nan extremity of nan reign of nan dinosaurs.

"'Prince' refers to this being an early, smaller tyrannosauroid," explained Prof Darla Zelenitsky, a palaeontologist from nan University of Calgary successful Canada. Tyrannosauroids are nan superfamily of carnivorous dinosaurs that walked connected 2 legs.

The first tyrannosauroids though were tiny.

PhD student Jared Voris, who led nan investigation pinch Prof Zelenitsky, explained: "They were these really small, fleet-footed predators that lived successful nan shadows of different apex predatory dinosaurs."

Khankhuuluu represents an evolutionary displacement - from those mini hunters that scampered astir during nan Jurassic play - to nan formidable giants, including T-rex.

It would person weighed astir 750kg, while an big T.rex could person weighed arsenic overmuch arsenic 8 times that, truthful "this is simply a transitional [fossil]," explained Prof Zelenitsky, "between earlier ancestors and nan mighty tyrannosaurs".

"It has helped america revise nan tyrannosaur family character and rewrite what we cognize astir nan improvement of tyrannosaurs," she added.

The caller type besides shows early evolutionary stages of features that were cardinal to nan tyrannosaurs' tyranny, including skull anatomy that gave it a beardown jaw. Jared Voris explained: "We spot features successful its nasal bony that yet gave tyrannosaurs those very powerful wound forces."

The improvement of specified powerful jaws allowed T-rex to pounce connected larger prey, and moreover wound done bone.

• Tyrannosaur's past repast was 2 babe dinosaurs
• Fossil reveals 240 cardinal year-old 'dragon'
• Solving nan enigma of a dinosaur wide grave

The 2 partial skeletons that nan squad examined successful this study were first discovered successful Mongolia backmost successful nan early 1970s. They were initially assigned to an existing species, known arsenic Alectrosaurus, but erstwhile Mr Voris examined them, he identified nan Tyrannosaur-like features that group it apart.

"I retrieve getting a matter from him - that he thought this was a caller species," recalled Prof Zelenitsky.

The truth that this group of dinosaurs were capable to move betwixt North America and Asia - via onshore bridges that connected Siberia and Alaska astatine nan clip - besides helped them to find and inhabit different niches.

Mr Voris explained: "That activity backmost and distant betwixt nan continents fundamentally pushed nan improvement of different tyrannosaur groups" complete millions of years.

Prof Zelinitsky added: "This find shows america that, earlier tyrannosaurs became nan kings, they were they were princes."