Newly Discovered Dinosaur Dethrones T-Rex as Ancient Apex Predator

Paleontologists have discovered a new dinosaur that would have made the Jurassic Park films absolutely terrifying if it replaced the T-Rex.

Knewz.com has learned that the never-before-seen tyrannosaur species is the closest known relative of the T-Rex.

The newly discovered species was older than the T-Rex. By: MEGA

Named Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis, the fossil records of this prehistoric giant predator had been wrongfully classified as a Tyrannosaurus rex.

While they belong to the same families, the newly classified specimen belonged to a “sister” species of the apex predator.

According to Live Science, before the discovery of this new species, the only known relatives of the T-Rex were a pair of tyrannosaurs named Tarbosaurus bataar and Zhuchengtyrannus magnus, which were found in modern-day China and Mongolia.

A part of the fossilized skull of the T-Rex relative was discovered by paleontologists in 1983 while exploring the Hall Lake Formation in New Mexico, according to the latest research, published in Nature.

The Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis was the closest known relative of the T-Rex. By: Britannica

According to Live Science, the specimen was on display at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (NMMNHS), labeled as a T-Rex skull. However, in 2013, another team of paleontologists noticed subtle differences in the shape of the cranial fossil compared to the skull of the “dinosaur king.”

The latest research has found that the skull was actually 73 million to 71 million years old, which would place it in the Cretaceous period. This makes the dinosaur around three to five million years older than the T-Rex.

“Morphology also suggests Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis is older than T. rex, since it consistently lacks many derived characters characterizing T. rex,” the paper read.

“The most striking difference is the shape of the lower jaw, which is more slender and curved [than T.rex]. It also lacks the prominent bosses or hornlets found over the top of the eyes in T. rex,” said Nick Longrich, a paleontologist at the University of Bath and the co-author of the paper, according to Live Science.

A team of paleontologists noticed subtle differences in the shape of the cranial fossil compared to the skull of the

The archaeologists believe that while the available specimen for the Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis suggests that the dinosaur was around the same size as an adult T-Rex, there is a possibility that other members of the newfound species were bigger than the ancient apex predator.

“It’s not impossible… Since we only have one individual, it’s unlikely we’ve found the biggest individuals of the species,” said Longrich, adding that the T. mcraeensis was most likely the apex predator when it walked the earth.

Longrich further said that if the T-Rex and the T. mcraeensis existed at the same time, they would have “probably been pretty evenly matched” in a fight, according to the report by Live Science.

The recent study has also revealed some insight into the origins of the Tyrannosaurus lineage, which had been quite unclear until now.

The T. mcraeensis may have rivaled the T-Rex in size. By: Britannica

The discovery and analysis of the T. mcraeensis specimens has further solidified the prevailing idea that the Tyrannosaurus family originated in Laramidia, an island continent that existed during the Late Cretaceous period. The region covers what is now known as western North America that stretches from modern-day Alaska to Mexico.

“Phylogenetic analysis recovers T. mcraeensis as sister to T. rex and suggests Tyrannosaurini originated in southern Laramidia,” the research paper reads.

“Evolution of giant tyrannosaurs in southern North America, alongside giant ceratopsians, hadrosaurs, and titanosaurs suggests large-bodied dinosaurs evolved at low latitudes in North America,” the paper further stated.