Latest news with #Tyrannosaurus
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Newly Discovered Tyrannosaur Relative "Prince of Dragons" Set T. rex Up to Rule
This summer's biggest movie, Jurassic World Rebirth (opening July 2, get tickets now!) picks up five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion (now streaming on Peacock!). The dinosaurs are on the loose, having reclaimed a place in the global ecosystem, but they're struggling to survive on a planet that has changed dramatically in the last 66 million years or so. While many have died out, some have found limited success in small suitable environments around the world. Zora Bennet (Scarlett Johansson) takes a team into a secret island research facility on Ile Sant-Hubert to recover genetic materials from the largest remaining species. It's believed that the samples are the key to breakthrough medical advances. Along the way, they discover some previously unknown species including a mutant Tyrannosaur known as Distortus rex. Here in the real world, we're stilling finding new dinos, albeit far less alive. Recently, paleontologists unveiled the fossilized remains of a new dinosaur species, Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, the closest known relative of Tyrannosaurs like the infamous T. rex. The specimen was found in the lower Upper Cretaceous portion of the Bayanshiree Formation in southeastern Mongolia in the 1970s. From there, it went to Mongolia's Institute of Paleontology where it remained largely unexamined for the last 50 years. Paleontologists of the time identified it as Alectrosaurus, a previously known dinosaur from Asia. In 2023, research led by University of Calgary PhD student Jared Voris and UC researcher Dr. Darla Zelenitsky revealed features which set it apart from its predatory peers. The results of that study were recently published in the journal Nature. It dates to about 86 million years ago, a time when earlier large predators had recently gone extinct and niches were available for evolution to fill. Khankhuuluu was a medium-sized predator which answered the call. It was only about one-third or one-half the size of a fully grown T. rex, but it laid the foundation for its larger and more famous descendants. 'This new species provides us the window into the ascent stage of Tyrannosaur evolution; right when they're transitioning from small predators to their apex predator form," Voris said in a statement. Perhaps Khankhuuluu's most notable features are a pair of tiny horns just over the eye sockets. Those horns would later evolve to be much more prominent in species like Albertosaurus and Gorgosaurus. They were probably used to intimidate rivals and impress romantic interests. Long before that, however, Khankhuuluu made moves which would set up T. rex to rule prehistory. "Khankhuuluu, or a closely related species, would have immigrated to North America from Asia around 85 million years ago," explains Zelenitsky, a paleontologist and associate professor in the Department of Earth, Energy and Environment. "Our study provides solid evidence that large Tyrannosaurs first evolved in North America as a result of this immigration event." Twenty million years after Khankhuuluu first appeared, its descendants were dominating the Cretaceous landscape. At least until the asteroid closed the curtain on the age of dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are back in Jurassic World Rebirth, .
Japan Forward
2 days ago
- Science
- Japan Forward
New Tyrannosauroid Species Offers Clues to Dino Evolution
A species of tyrannosauroid was discovered among fossils excavated from Late Cretaceous rock layers in Mongolia. The fossil dates back approximately 90 million years. The international research team behind the discovery included researchers from Hokkaido University, the University of Calgary in Canada, and other institutions. They named the species Khankhuuluu mongoliensis and published their findings in the June 12 issue of the British scientific journal Nature . This discovery offers a new perspective on the origin and evolution of tyrannosaurs. The team explained that this new species was actually discovered among fossils collected around 50 years ago in Mongolia's Gobi Desert. Khankhuuluu had a slender body, similar to juvenile tyrannosaurs, and weighed less than 500 kilograms (1102 lbs). Its leg shape and other features were distinct enough from known tyrannosaurs to classify it as a new species. A robot of a Tyrannosaurus at the Ibaraki Nature Museum in 2018. (©Sankei by Takeo Kusashita) Tyrannosauridae is a family of dinosaurs that comprises two subfamilies, including the Tyrannosaurus. Until the discovery of Khankhuuluu, it was believed that tyrannosaurs originated in North America. However, the new evidence suggests their ancestors first appeared in Asia and later migrated back and forth between Asia and North America, evolving into larger forms over time. Moreover, Khankhuuluu is thought to be the common ancestor not only of large tyrannosaurs but also of Alioramus , a related species weighing around 750 kilograms, offering important clues about their evolution. Professor Kaiji Kobayashi from the Hokkaido University Museum, part of the research team, said, "The discovery of Khankhuuluu has clarified the origin and evolutionary process of large tyrannosaurs. We plan to continue our research to better understand the migration routes tyrannosaurs took between Asia and North America." ( Read the article in Japanese . ) Author: The Sankei Shimbun
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Science
- BBC News
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.
Straits Times
12-06-2025
- Science
- Straits Times
Mongolia's ‘Dragon Prince' dinosaur was forerunner of T. rex
The Khankhuuluu mongoliensis lived roughly 86 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period and was an immediate precursor to the dinosaur lineage called tyrannosaurs. PHOTO: REUTERS ULAANBAATAR - A newly identified mid-sized dinosaur from Mongolia dubbed the "Dragon Prince" has been identified as a pivotal forerunner of Tyrannosaurus rex in an illuminating discovery that has helped clarify the famous predator's complicated family history. Named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis (pronounced khan-KOO-loo mon-gol-ee-EN-sis), it lived roughly 86 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period and was an immediate precursor to the dinosaur lineage called tyrannosaurs, which included some of the largest meat-eating land animals in Earth's history, among them T. rex. Khankhuuluu predated Tyrannosaurus by about 20 million years. It was about 4m long, weighed about 750kg, walked on two legs and had a lengthy snout with a mouthful of sharp teeth. More lightly built than T. rex, its body proportions indicate Khankhuuluu was fleet-footed, likely chasing down smaller prey such as bird-like dinosaurs called oviraptorosaurs and ornithomimosaurs. The largest-known T. rex specimen is 40-1/2 feet long (12.3m). Khankhuuluu means "Dragon Prince" in the Mongolian language. Tyrannosaurus rex means "tyrant king of the lizards." "In the name, we wanted to capture that Khankhuuluu was a small, early form that had not evolved into a king. It was still a prince," said paleontologist Darla Zelenitsky of the University of Calgary in Canada, co-author of the study published on June 11 in the journal Nature. Tyrannosaurs and all other meat-eating dinosaurs are part of a group called theropods. Tyrannosaurs appeared late in the age of dinosaurs, roaming Asia and North America. Khankhuuluu shared many anatomical traits with tyrannosaurs but lacked certain defining characteristics, showing it was a predecessor and not a true member of the lineage. "Khankhuuluu was almost a tyrannosaur, but not quite. For example, the bone along the top of the snout and the bones around the eye are somewhat different from what we see in tyrannosaurs. The snout bone was hollow and the bones around the eye didn't have all the horns and bumps seen in tyrannosaurs," Associate Professor Zelenitsky said. "Khankhuuluu had teeth like steak knives, with serrations along both the front and back edges. Large tyrannosaurs had conical teeth and massive jaws that allowed them to bite with extreme force then hold in order to subdue very large prey. Khankhuuluu's more slender teeth and jaws show this animal took slashing bites to take down smaller prey," Assoc Prof Zelenitsky added. The researchers figured out its anatomy based on fossils of two Khankhuuluu individuals dug up in the 1970s but only now fully studied. These included parts of its skull, arms, legs, tail and back bones. The Khankhuuluu remains, more complete than fossils of other known tyrannosaur forerunners, helped the researchers untangle this lineage's evolutionary history. They concluded that Khankhuuluu was the link between smaller forerunners of tyrannosaurs and later true tyrannosaurs, a transitional animal that reveals how these meat-eaters evolved from speedy and modestly sized species into giant apex predators. "What started as the discovery of a new species ended up with us rewriting the family history of tyrannosaurs," said University of Calgary doctoral student and study lead author Jared Voris. "Before this, there was a lot of confusion about who was related to who when it came to tyrannosaur species." Some scientists had hypothesized that smaller tyrannosaurs like China's Qianzhousaurus - dubbed "Pinnochio-rexes" because of their characteristic long snouts - reflected the lineage's ancestral form. That notion was contradicted by the fact that tyrannosaur forerunner Khankhuuluu differed from them in important ways. "The tyrannosaur family didn't follow a straightforward path where they evolved from small size in early species to larger and larger sizes in later species," Assoc Prof Zelenitsky said. Mr Voris noted that Khankhuuluu demonstrates that the ancestors to the tyrannosaurs lived in Asia. "Around 85 million years ago, these tyrannosaur ancestors crossed a land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska and evolved in North America into the apex predatory tyrannosaurs," Mr Voris said. One line of North American tyrannosaurs later trekked back to Asia and split into two branches - the "Pinnochio-rexes" and massive forms like Tarbosaurus, the researchers said. These apex predators then spread back to North America, they said, paving the way for the appearance of T. rex. Tyrannosaurus ruled western North America at the end of the age of dinosaurs when an asteroid struck Earth 66 million years ago. "Khankhuuluu was where it all started but it was still only a distant ancestor of T. rex, at nearly 20 million years older," Assoc Prof Zelenitsky said. "Over a dozen tyrannosaur species evolved in the time between them. It was a great-great-great uncle, sort of." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
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.
