Zhuchengtyrannus
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| Zhuchengtyrannus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
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Scientific classification 
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| Missing taxonomy template (fix): | Zhuchengtyrannus magnus |
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Zhuchengtyrannus (meaning "Zhucheng tyrant") is a genus of carnivorous theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period. It is a tyrannosaurine tyrannosaurid which lived during the late Cretaceous period in what is now Zhucheng, Shandong Province of China. It is known from a maxilla and associated dentary (lower jaw with teeth) recovered from the Wangshi Group, dating to about 70 million years ago. It was one of the largest known carnivorous theropods, measuring about 11 m (36 ft) in length, 4 metres (13 ft) tall, and 6 tons in weight. The dentary is only a little smaller than the largest Tyrannosaurus rex jawbone found.[1][2]
The place where the dinosaur has been found was a flood plain in the Cretaceous period and contains one of the highest concentrations of dinosaur bones in the world.[3]
Classification and naming
The name "Zhuchengtyrannus" first appeared in an online manuscript by David W.E. Hone, Kebai Wang, Corwin Sullivan, Xijin Zhao, Shuqing Chen, Dunjin Li, Shuan Ji, Qiang Ji and Xing Xu in March 2011, with the type species "Z. magnus" (gen. et sp. nov.), though the name has not yet been formally published and is a nomen nudum.[1]
It is possible that several isolated teeth from the same quarry, previously given the name Tyrannosaurus zhuchengensis, belong to this or a related species. The T. zhuchengensis teeth are characterized by serrations which extend all the way to the base of the tooth crown, a feature not seen in any other tyrannosaurine species. All known teeth of Zhuchengtyrannus are too poorly preserved in this area to compare with T. zhuchengensis, but further finds may clarify their relationship.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c David W.E. Hone, Kebai Wang, Corwin Sullivan, Xijin Zhao, Shuqing Chen, Dunjin Li, Shuan Ji, Qiang Ji and Xing Xu (2011). "A new tyrannosaurine theropod, Zhuchengtyrannus magnus is named based on a maxilla and dentary". Cretaceous Research. in press. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2011.03.005.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Giant prehistoric dinosaur cousin of T. rex identified". BBC. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
- ^ "New dino in same league as T. rex". Sydney Morning Herald. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.