China has discovered Xu's Asian Tyrant
Time：July 29, 2024
In the world of dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurus rex, known as the Tyrannosaurus rex, has always been a "big star" in movies and TV dramas due to its majestic and domineering nature. The paleontological research team at Zhejiang Natural History Museum has identified a new genus and species of tyrannosaurus dinosaur through fossil research. It is also the first deep snouted tyrannosaur dinosaur discovered in southeastern China. The relevant academic paper has been published online in the international journal "Scientific Reports" at 23:00 Beijing time on the 25th.
The above study was jointly completed by four paleontologists from Zhejiang Natural History Museum, Zheng Wenjie, Jin Xingsheng, Xie Junfang, and Du Tianming. The team named this new species of dinosaur "Tyrannosaurus Xu" to pay tribute to Xu Xing, an academician of the CAS Member, who has long been committed to dinosaur research and has long supported the academic and popular science work of the Zhejiang Natural Museum.
Zheng Wenjie, Deputy Director of the Earth Science Department and Research Curator of Zhejiang Natural History Museum, introduced that the living age of Xu's Asian Tyrannosaurus was at the end of the Cretaceous period. This period dates back 72 to 66 million years. Its fossil specimen preserves almost complete skull, as well as posterior skull bones such as caudal vertebrae and hind limbs. It belongs to the most advanced tyrannosauridae subfamily and is closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex and Tyrannosaurus rex.
Zheng Wenjie told reporters that tyrannosaurs are a large family and are classified as a tyrannosaurid superfamily. Tyrannosaurs first appeared in the Middle Jurassic about 165 million years ago and went extinct by the end of the Cretaceous about 66 million years ago. And the tyrannosaurids of the Tyrannosauridae superfamily were the top predators in Asia and North America for the last 20 million years of the dinosaur era. The Tyrannosauridae subfamily belongs to the Tyrannosauridae family.
The first two are deep snouted, while Qianzhou Dragon is long snouted. (Image provided by interviewee) Many people have the impression that tyrannosaurs have a huge head. Zheng Wenjie said that according to the characteristics of the snout, there are also two types of Tyrannosaurus rex heads. The skulls of most tyrannosaurid dinosaurs are of the deep snout type, with relatively short front and back skulls and a higher distance between the upper and lower jaws, giving them a somewhat "square" appearance, similar to the skulls of Tyrannosaurus rex and Tyrannosaurus rex. The skull of Xu's Asian Tyrannosaurus rex is 47.5 centimeters long and also belongs to the deep snout type.
Another portion of tyrannosaurid dinosaur skulls are long snouted, with narrow snouts. This type of dinosaur is also classified as a branch dinosaur. In the Gobi region of central Asia, scientists have discovered the coexistence of deep snouted tyrannosaurs and long snouted branchosaurs. The former has a larger body size, and the two may be in different ecological niches.
In the southeastern region of China, the body size comparison between the two types of tyrannosaurs is exactly opposite. There is also the Qianzhoulong, a long snouted species, that lived during the same period as the deep snouted Xu Asian Tyrannosaurus rex. Zheng Wenjie said that Qianzhou Dragon has a relatively large body size, estimated to be around 9 meters long. The Xu's Asian Tyrannosaurus discovered this time, although a juvenile dinosaur, has already passed its fastest growth period and is a subadult individual with a body length of only about half that of Qianzhousaurus. They may also be in different ecological niches and adopt different hunting strategies to avoid direct competition.
The above study was jointly completed by four paleontologists from Zhejiang Natural History Museum, Zheng Wenjie, Jin Xingsheng, Xie Junfang, and Du Tianming. The team named this new species of dinosaur "Tyrannosaurus Xu" to pay tribute to Xu Xing, an academician of the CAS Member, who has long been committed to dinosaur research and has long supported the academic and popular science work of the Zhejiang Natural Museum.
Zheng Wenjie, Deputy Director of the Earth Science Department and Research Curator of Zhejiang Natural History Museum, introduced that the living age of Xu's Asian Tyrannosaurus was at the end of the Cretaceous period. This period dates back 72 to 66 million years. Its fossil specimen preserves almost complete skull, as well as posterior skull bones such as caudal vertebrae and hind limbs. It belongs to the most advanced tyrannosauridae subfamily and is closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex and Tyrannosaurus rex.
Zheng Wenjie told reporters that tyrannosaurs are a large family and are classified as a tyrannosaurid superfamily. Tyrannosaurs first appeared in the Middle Jurassic about 165 million years ago and went extinct by the end of the Cretaceous about 66 million years ago. And the tyrannosaurids of the Tyrannosauridae superfamily were the top predators in Asia and North America for the last 20 million years of the dinosaur era. The Tyrannosauridae subfamily belongs to the Tyrannosauridae family.
The first two are deep snouted, while Qianzhou Dragon is long snouted. (Image provided by interviewee) Many people have the impression that tyrannosaurs have a huge head. Zheng Wenjie said that according to the characteristics of the snout, there are also two types of Tyrannosaurus rex heads. The skulls of most tyrannosaurid dinosaurs are of the deep snout type, with relatively short front and back skulls and a higher distance between the upper and lower jaws, giving them a somewhat "square" appearance, similar to the skulls of Tyrannosaurus rex and Tyrannosaurus rex. The skull of Xu's Asian Tyrannosaurus rex is 47.5 centimeters long and also belongs to the deep snout type.
Another portion of tyrannosaurid dinosaur skulls are long snouted, with narrow snouts. This type of dinosaur is also classified as a branch dinosaur. In the Gobi region of central Asia, scientists have discovered the coexistence of deep snouted tyrannosaurs and long snouted branchosaurs. The former has a larger body size, and the two may be in different ecological niches.
In the southeastern region of China, the body size comparison between the two types of tyrannosaurs is exactly opposite. There is also the Qianzhoulong, a long snouted species, that lived during the same period as the deep snouted Xu Asian Tyrannosaurus rex. Zheng Wenjie said that Qianzhou Dragon has a relatively large body size, estimated to be around 9 meters long. The Xu's Asian Tyrannosaurus discovered this time, although a juvenile dinosaur, has already passed its fastest growth period and is a subadult individual with a body length of only about half that of Qianzhousaurus. They may also be in different ecological niches and adopt different hunting strategies to avoid direct competition.