Dinosaur fossils found in 1970s are missing link in evolution of T rex
A newly discovered dinosaur from Mongolia, Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, or "Dragon Prince," is considered a crucial ancestor of the Tyrannosaurus rex (T rex), providing insights into the T rex's evolutionary history.
Khankhuuluu lived approximately 86 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, predating the Tyrannosaurus by about 20 million years; it was a mid-sized dinosaur, about 13 feet long, weighing around 1,600 pounds, and likely hunted smaller prey.
Paleontologist Darla Zelenitsky notes that Khankhuuluu, meaning "Dragon Prince," was named to reflect its status as a smaller, earlier form that had not yet evolved into a king, unlike the Tyrannosaurus rex, which means "tyrant king of the lizards."
Researchers determined Khankhuuluu's anatomy from fossils found in the 1970s, revealing it shared anatomical traits with tyrannosaurs but lacked certain defining characteristics, indicating it was a predecessor and a transitional animal between smaller forerunners and later true tyrannosaurs.
According to University of Calgary doctoral student Jared Voris, Khankhuuluu demonstrates that the ancestors to the tyrannosaurs lived in Asia, later crossing a land bridge to North America and evolving into apex predatory tyrannosaurs, eventually leading to the emergence of T rex.
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Telegraph
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New species of tiny tyrannosaurs gave Rex its bite
A new species of dinosaur has been discovered, which scientists say shows how tyrannosaurs evolved from smaller predators the size of a horse. The 'Dragon Prince', whose bones were found in a Mongolian museum, is thought to be about 20 million years older than the Tyrannosaurus Rex and provides a 'missing link' in the evolution of the apex predators. The skeleton of the Khankhuuluu Mongoliensis demonstrates where the T Rex got its vicious bite, researchers who 'rediscovered' the species said. 'We see features in its nasal bone that eventually gave tyrannosaurs those very powerful bite forces,' said Jared Voris, from the University of Calgary, the researcher who found the bones. The fossils were initially found in the early 1970s, but at the time were misidentified as belonging to a different tyrannosaur, Alectrosaurus. The bones were put away in a drawer at the Institute of Palaeontology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in the capital Ulaanbaatar, until they were re-discovered by then-PhD student Mr Voris. He was handed two plastic tubes full of bones while visiting the institute – and eventually found the fossils were partial skeletons of two different dinosaurs from a new species. Darla Zelenitsky, a palaeontologist from the University of Calgary, said: 'It is quite possible that discoveries like this are sitting in other museums that just have not been recognised.' The skeleton shows that the 'Dragon Prince' was about four metres long and weighed only 750kg, according to the findings, published in the academic journal Nature. An adult T Rex is believed to have weighed eight times as much. 'They were these really small, fleet-footed predators that lived in the shadows of other apex predatory dinosaurs,' said Dr Voris. 'This discovery shows us that, before tyrannosaurs became the kings, they were princes,' said Zelenitsky. The finding is considered a 'transitional' fossil and has helped clarify the evolution of the tyrannosaur family, which was 'really messy previously,' said Dr Zelenitsky. 'What makes them so important is their age,' said Stephen Brusatte, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the study. 'They are about 86 million years old, a good 20 million years older than T Rex. It has been a frustrating gap in the record.' The discovery also helps to paint the migration patterns of the tyrannosaurs. From Asia to North America They show that T Rex's direct ancestors probably migrated from Asia to North America across a land bridge that used to connect Siberia and Alaska 85 million years ago, Dr Zelenitsky said. Tyrannosaurs then evolved in North America and remained there for the next several million years, she said. 'As the many tyrannosaur species evolved on the continent, they became larger and larger,' said Dr Zelenitsky. The records are incomplete so scientists are unsure of what happened in Asia 80 million years ago. However, the Khankhuuluu may have later been replaced by larger, more dominant, tyrannosaurs.
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15 hours ago
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New species of dinosaur helps understanding of T.rex evolution
When you think about the you probably picture a big predator with small arms and big its early ancestors didn't look quite as fearsome and scientists have found a new species of dinosaur they believe is its most recent called the species Khankhuuluu mongoliensis which means Dragon Prince of say the discovery has helped understand the evolution of the from their small early ancestors. The team at the University of Calgary in Canada studied two partial skeletons which were first discovered in Mongolia in the 1970s which were being kept at a museum, The fossils are 86-million-years old and have given scientists new information about tyrannosaurs evolved. Jared Voris, a PhD student working on the project, noticed features similar to the tyrannosaur. The skull suggested it had a strong jaw, a feature found in tyrannosaurs, needed for their powerful bite. The evolution of such powerful jaws meant the could pounce on larger prey, and even bite through bone. Tyrannosauroids are the superfamily of carnivorous (meat eating) dinosaurs that walked on two first tyrannosauroids though were tiny. They were nimble on their feet and "lived in the shadows of other apex predators" according to lead researcher Professor Darla explained that the new species, Khankhuuluu, is a "transitional fossil between earlier ancestors and the mighty tyrannosaurs".It would have weighed about 750kg (about the same as a giraffe) while an adult could have weighed as much as eight times that."It has helped us revise the tyrannosaur family tree and rewrite what we know about the evolution of tyrannosaurs," she added.
BBC News
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New species of dinosaur discovered that 'rewrites' T.rex family tree
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