![]() ![]() In these two studies, we discovered that Thanatotheristes and Ulughbegsaurus were each, by far, the largest predator of their ecosystems. Measuring from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail, both species would have been around eight metres long - the length of the average school bus. We were able to figure out their body size from these preserved bones. ![]() The most recognizable bones are from the jaws - the upper and lower jaw of Thanatotheristes and the upper jaw of Ulughbegsaurus.įrom the jaws, it was apparent both species were a respectable and similar size. The two species are known from only a few skull bones, with the remainder of their skeletons completely unknown. Unraveling the mystery of how dinosaurs get their names On the other hand, we named the carcharodontosaur species Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis after Ulugh Beg, a historical figure and early astronomer in Uzbekistan.Ī carcharodontosaurus skull on display at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo. We named the new tyrannosaur species Thanatotheristes degrootorum, which means “reaper of death.” The name draws inspiration from its predatory role in the 80-million-year-old ecosystem and for the first discoverer of the fossil bones, an Alberta rancher called John DeGroot. This meant that we would need to formally describe them, and each would be given its own species name. Both fossils had been found in Cretaceous age rocks of their respective region, and had sat in the museum collections for at least a decade without much notice.Īfter many months of study, each of these fossils turned out to be an entirely new species of meat-eating dinosaur, previously unknown to science. Voris went to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alta., and Tanaka to the State Geological Museum in Uzbekistan.Įach found a fossil specimen they thought may have been important, although overlooked. In 2019, paleontologists Jared Voris and Kohei Tanaka - both who had trained in my lab at the University of Calgary - visited museums to look at fossils housed in collections. ![]()
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