2024-01-17 21:00:00
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He Tyrannosaurus rex, popularly known as T-Rex, is probably the most famous dinosaur in history. However, this predator lived only at the end of the age of dinosaurs and much of its evolutionary history is unknown. It has recently been discovered a new species that is its closest known relative and which has been baptized as Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis.
The species has been described in the magazine Scientific Reports from the fragments of a skull that were discovered in New Mexico (USA). Initially thought to belong to a T-Rex since their size and skeleton are very similar, but some differences in the shape and joints between the bones of the skull made researchers think that it was a new species.
According to the study, the Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis It lived between 73 and 71 million years ago, about five million years before the T-Rex. They are the only two known species of the genus Tyrannosaurus: the new species is, temporally and taxonomically, the closest to Rex. Its other relatives belong to a larger family called tyrannosaurids (Tyrannosauridae), and, particularly, the subfamily Tyrannosauriniwhich includes the genres Tarbosaurus y Zhuchengtyrannus apart from the Tyrannosaurus.
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The evolution of tyrannosaurids
In fact, this new species has characteristics typical of Tarbosaurus which does not have the T-Rex, so could be a common ancestor. This aspect is one that has drawn the most attention of researchers, since the temporal location of the Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis corresponds to a key point in the evolution of this family.
And when you study the Tyrannosaurusthere is something that stands out a lot compared to the other genres in the family: its rapid growth curve. Between 10 and 20 years of age these dinosaurs could increase their weight by more than 5 tons; By comparison, other evolutionarily close tyrannosaurid genera “only” earned between half a ton and a ton in a decade.
This responded to an accelerated growth strategy which also had other giant dinosaurs, such as sauropods. And the fact that the Tyrannosaurus were isolated on an island continent called Laramidia (corresponding to the west coast of North America), where giant-sized prey and also dangerous herbivores such as ceratopsids and ankylosaurs abounded, it was an evolutionary drive for predators to reach giant sizes.
Why giant dinosaurs predominated
Another aspect of interest is that this species so close to the T-Rex has been found in such a geographically close place: until now, its closest relative had been found in Mongolia; a place completely separated from North America during the Cretaceous and which, therefore, left the Rex as an isolated species whose origin was difficult to trace.
In reality, the origins of the subfamily are still unknown. Tyrannosauriniwhich presents some peculiar aspects: They were larger and more robust species, while most tyrannosaurids were smaller and more graceful: although they were less intimidating, this also made them more agile and effective hunters. In fact, because of its enormous size, the T-Rex would not have been a good runner, since its joints would not have supported its weight while running.
The discovery of Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis can help complete some this evolutionary puzzle, still very incompleteand shed some light on the origins of the most famous dinosaur in history.
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