Newly-discovered dinosaur species may change what we know about tyrannosaurs
What's the story
Paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur, Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, that could change the way we understand the evolution of tyrannosaurs.
The fossils were first unearthed in Mongolia's Gobi Desert during the 1970s but were only recently reexamined by Jared Voris, a Ph.D student in the Department of Earth Energy and Environment at the University of Calgary.
He found distinctive features in these remains that had never been seen before in any known tyrannosauroid species.
Evolutionary bridge
Khankhuuluu mongoliensis could have been human's worst nightmare
The discovery of Khankhuuluu mongoliensis fills a gap between the early ancestors of Tyrannosaurus rex and later predators.
"They're almost the immediate ancestor of the family that we call tyrannosaurs," Dr. Darla Zelenitsky told The Guardian.
The creature weighed around 750kg and was some four meters long, possibly making humans a perfect meal for this new dinosaur species if they had coexisted in prehistoric times.
Anatomical insights
Transition from small to large predators explored in study
The study also highlights the early evolutionary stages of features that defined tyrannosaurs, such as skull anatomy for a strong jaw.
"We see features in its nasal bone that eventually gave tyrannosaurs those very powerful bite forces," said Voris.
This discovery sheds light on the transition from small, fleet-footed predators to formidable giants like T-rex.
Evolutionary challenge
Discovery challenges previous beliefs about evolutionary timeline of Alioramus
The discovery of Khankhuuluu also challenges previous beliefs about the evolutionary timeline of small, long-nosed tyrannosaurs known as Alioramus or "Pinocchio rexes."
While some experts had suggested these species were closer to the ancestors of tyrannosaurs than previously thought, the finding of Khankhuuluu shows otherwise.
This new species is a key player in understanding how these fearsome predators evolved over millions of years.