It would be the oldest member of the terrifying family: a new species of tyrannosaurus, close to the T-Rex, which populated the plains of North America 80 million years ago, was discovered in Canada, according to a study. published Monday.
Nicknamed “the reaper of death”, “Thanatotheristes degrootorum”, was at the top of the food chain and could be up to eight meters long, said the study published in the journal Cretaceous Research.
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The giant carnivore, of which only a few parts of the skull about 80 cm have been found, is the oldest member of the T-Rex family known in North America, the study suggests. The specimen dates back at least 79 million years ago, while the T-Rex, the most famous dinosaur immortalized in “Jurassic Park”, lived about 66 million years ago.
It is the first time in 50 years that a new tyrannosaurid species has been discovered in Canada. “There are very few tyrannosaurid species, but there are many varieties among them. Tyrannosaurs were very different, “said Darla Zelenitsky, co-author of the study. Thanatotheristes degrootorum is the tenth identified in North America.
Rare animals
“Because of the composition of the food chain, these top predators were rare compared to herbivores,” said the paleontologist at the University of Calgary in Canada.
The “reaper of death” is distinguished from other groups by a long, deep snout, similar to other groups of more primitive tyrannosaurs living in the southern United States. A set of vertical ridges ran along the upper jaw.
The different forms of skulls found in the different groups according to the regions could be due to different diets (type of prey available, hunting strategy), according to the researchers.
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