‘The Missing Link’: New Early Tyrannosaur Species Discovered by Calgary Researchers
Scientists from the University of Calgary have discovered a new dinosaur specimen that they say
The specimen was originally discovered in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert Over 50 Years ago in the 1970s, but its significance wasnys wasnZed until Darla Zelenitsky, An Associat Professor in the University’s Faculty of Science, Sent Graduate Student Jared Voris to Mongolia on a research trip.
“He was there a couple of years ago on this research trip and looked at the fossil and texted me [that] He thought it was a new species. I was like, ‘yay,’ ‘Zelenitsky Told the Canadian Press.
“I said, ‘this is good, but we don’t want to Jump the gun on this.’ It turns out it [was] A new species. “
Siberia to Alaska 85 Million Years ago
The Species, khankhuuluu mongoliensis – meaning “dragon prince” or “prince of dragons of mongolia” – is believed to have crossed via a land bridge from siberia to alaska routh Years ago.
Zelenitsky said itears to sit on the evolutionary scale between smaller tyrannosauroids and tyrannosaurs.
“It’s the Missing Link Between Smaller Tyrannosauroids and The Large Predator Tyrannosaurs,” She said.
“This Missing Link was Around 750 Kilograms. Its ancestors were a couple of Hindred Kilograms and just tiny, but then you get to Tyrannosaurs Proper, Ai Were Over a Thouse Kilograms, Ustimats of 5,000 Kilograms. “
The findings were published wedding in the British weekly scientific journey.
“It’s really exciting to be involved in a discovery of something that’s been satting in a drawer for 50 years.
“This discovery forced us to look at the family trerannosaus in a very different light. It ended up with us rewriting the family history of tyrannosaurs.”
Right place, right time
The Arrival of Khankhuuluu or a similar Species after moving from Asia to North America May Have Been The Result of Folling Their Prey to a New Location, Said Zelenitsky.
“IT’s Possible that there was a many tyrannosaur type predators so it’s possible they were able to take over that niche in northe america and moved to the top of the food,” SAID.
“Tyrannosaurs was in the right place at the right time. It allowed them to diversity and evolve a large a large body size, ultimately becoming the massive apex predator that terrrorized aaerica and Asia Dooring the ASIE Late Cretaceous Period. “
Zelenitsky said the evolution to the Tyrannosaur Happy Rapidly, Geologically Speaking, and Probably Took a Few Million Years.
She has co-authored over 50 differential publications during her career and was part of a team that first found evidence of feathered dinosaurs in North America.
