Latest news with #DepartmentofEarthEnergyandEnvironment
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Tyrannosaurus Rex relative discovered: New dinosaur species identified in Mongolia
A new dinosaur species, related to the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, has been discovered by paleontologists. The fossils, originally found in the 1970s, were recently reanalyzed after Jared Voris, a Ph.D student in the University of Calgary's Department of Earth Energy and Environment, noticed the dinosaur remains during a trip to Mongolia in 2023. The new species has been named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, meaning 'Prince of Dragons of Mongolia." The fossils consisted of two partial skeletons found in Mongolia's Gobi Desert in the 1970s. A Mongolian paleontologist had initially attributed the remains as those of the meat-eating dinosaur Alectrosaurus olseni, Darla Zelenitsky, an associate professor at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Science, told ABC News. The fossils had not been "seriously" looked at since then, she noted. She was part of a group that authored a study related the new discovery in the journal Nature. According to ABC News, Jared Voris noticed the fossils in a glass case while on a visit to the Central Museum of Dinosaurs of Mongolia. He realized that the remains had characteristics that were never seen before in a Tyrannosaurus species. The skull contained an air cavity close to the nose. The toe bones were attached to the leg of a predator in a different manner. The results of the study mean that the fossils help fill a gap between the early ancestors of Tyrannosaurus rex and the predators that evolved later. 'They're almost the immediate ancestor of the family that we call tyrannosaurs,' Dr Darla Zelenitsky told the Guardian. The dinosaurs were believed to weigh around 750 kilos. The creature was about four meters in length. According to Voris, if humans had lived at the same time as the dinosaur, they would have been a perfect meal for the Khankhuuluu. As per researchers, the species was related to the Eutyrannosaurias, which originated in North America and included T-rex. The discovery sheds light on Alioramus, a group of small, long-nosed tyrannosaurs also called 'Pinocchio rexes.' Some experts had proposed that the species might sit closer to the ancestors of tyrannosaurs than believed earlier. However, the discovery of the Khankhuuluu has shown this was not the case. The T-Rex was among the biggest predators in North America until 66 million years ago, when an asteroid slammed into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out three-quarters of all life on Earth. It is a new dinosaur species related to the Tyrannosaurus rex. Its name means 'Prince of Dragons of Mongolia'. The dinosaur was an apex predator. Its size, speed and portrayal in films has made it among the most famous dinosaurs of all time. The fossils of the Khankhuuluu mongoliensis were found in Mongolia in the 1970s.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
New dinosaur species related to T. Rex discovered
Paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur that was related to the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex. The dino fossils, two partial skeletons found in Gobi Desert in Mongolia in the 1970s, were recently reanalyzed after Jared Voris, a Ph.D student in the Department of Earth Energy and Environment at the University of Calgary, noticed them during a trip to Mongolia in 2023. MORE: Fossils found in North America reveal new species of 'very odd' sea monster: Scientists A Mongolian paleontologist initially attributed the fossils to a meat-eating dinosaur called electrosaurus, Darla Zelenitsky, an associate professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary, told ABC News. The fossils had not been "seriously" looked at that since then, she noted. But when Voris noticed them in a glass case at the Central Museum of Dinosaurs of Mongolia, he realized they had characteristics never before seen in a Tyrannosaurus species, he said. The skull, for instance, contained an air cavity near the nose. Large apex predators tend to have "completely solid" nose bonds, according to Voris. The way the toe bones attached to the rest of the leg was also different, Voris said. "We had recognized that this was something completely different," Voris said. MORE: Evidence of 30-foot ancient sea monster found in Mississippi The fossils were determined to belong to a new tyrannosaurid species after reexamination by the researchers, according to paper published Wednesday in Nature. The new species, named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, is a "relatively small" Tyrannosaur, Zelenitsky said. The specimen was likely about 1,700 pounds and 13 feet in length, making it an agile runner, Zelenitsky said. The specimen was an immediate relative of the Eutyrannosaurias, which originated in North America and included T. rex, the researchers said. It was also a close ancestor to the "massive, deep-snouted" Tyrannosaurini, as well as the much smaller and shallow-snouted Alioramini, according to researchers. MORE: What paleontologists learned from fossils of a 3-eyed predator that lived 500 million years ago The discovery sheds new light on the evolution of the tyrannosaur species and dispersal patterns in the late Cretaceous period. The new species is the "missing link" between the smaller Tyrannosaurs and massive apex predators like T. rex, which weighed up to 10,000 pounds, Zelenitsky said. New dinosaur species related to T. Rex discovered originally appeared on
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
New dinosaur species related to T. Rex discovered
Paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur that was related to the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex. The dino fossils, two partial skeletons found in Gobi Desert in Mongolia in the 1970s, were recently reanalyzed after Jared Voris, a Ph.D student in the Department of Earth Energy and Environment at the University of Calgary, noticed them during a trip to Mongolia in 2023. MORE: Fossils found in North America reveal new species of 'very odd' sea monster: Scientists A Mongolian paleontologist initially attributed the fossils to a meat-eating dinosaur called electrosaurus, Darla Zelenitsky, an associate professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary, told ABC News. The fossils had not been "seriously" looked at that since then, she noted. But when Voris noticed them in a glass case at the Central Museum of Dinosaurs of Mongolia, he realized they had characteristics never before seen in a Tyrannosaurus species, he said. The skull, for instance, contained an air cavity near the nose. Large apex predators tend to have "completely solid" nose bonds, according to Voris. The way the toe bones attached to the rest of the leg was also different, Voris said. "We had recognized that this was something completely different," Voris said. MORE: Evidence of 30-foot ancient sea monster found in Mississippi The fossils were determined to belong to a new tyrannosaurid species after reexamination by the researchers, according to paper published Wednesday in Nature. The new species, named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, is a "relatively small" Tyrannosaur, Zelenitsky said. The specimen was likely about 1,700 pounds and 13 feet in length, making it an agile runner, Zelenitsky said. The specimen was an immediate relative of the Eutyrannosaurias, which originated in North America and included T. rex, the researchers said. It was also a close ancestor to the "massive, deep-snouted" Tyrannosaurini, as well as the much smaller and shallow-snouted Alioramini, according to researchers. MORE: What paleontologists learned from fossils of a 3-eyed predator that lived 500 million years ago The discovery sheds new light on the evolution of the tyrannosaur species and dispersal patterns in the late Cretaceous period. The new species is the "missing link" between the smaller Tyrannosaurs and massive apex predators like T. rex, which weighed up to 10,000 pounds, Zelenitsky said.
2 days ago
- Science
New dinosaur species related to T. Rex discovered
Paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur that was related to the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex. The dino fossils, two partial skeletons found in Gobi Desert in Mongolia in the 1970s, were recently reanalyzed after Jared Voris, a Ph.D student in the Department of Earth Energy and Environment at the University of Calgary, noticed them during a trip to Mongolia in 2023. A Mongolian paleontologist initially attributed the fossils to a meat-eating dinosaur called electrosaurus, Darla Zelenitsky, an associate professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary, told ABC News. The fossils had not been "seriously" looked at that since then, she noted. But when Voris noticed them in a glass case at the Central Museum of Dinosaurs of Mongolia, he realized they had characteristics never before seen in a Tyrannosaurus species, he said. The skull, for instance, contained an air cavity near the nose. Large apex predators tend to have "completely solid" nose bonds, according to Voris. The way the toe bones attached to the rest of the leg was also different, Voris said. "We had recognized that this was something completely different," Voris said. The fossils were determined to belong to a new tyrannosaurid species after reexamination by the researchers, according to paper published Wednesday in Nature. The new species, named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, is a "relatively small" Tyrannosaur, Zelenitsky said. The specimen was likely about 1,700 pounds and 13 feet in length, making it an agile runner, Zelenitsky said. The specimen was an immediate relative of the Eutyrannosaurias, which originated in North America and included T. rex, the researchers said. It was also a close ancestor to the "massive, deep-snouted" Tyrannosaurini, as well as the much smaller and shallow-snouted Alioramini, according to researchers. The discovery sheds new light on the evolution of the tyrannosaur species and dispersal patterns in the late Cretaceous period. The new species is the "missing link" between the smaller Tyrannosaurs and massive apex predators like T. rex, which weighed up to 10,000 pounds, Zelenitsky said.
