
A newly discovered predatory dinosaur dubbed the "king of gore" reveals the origins of T. rex but evolved millions of years earlier, U.S. paleontologists say. Lythronax argestes was huge carnivore that inhabited Laramidia, an island landmass formed on the western coast of a shallow sea that flooded the central region of North America 80 million years ago, scientists at the University of Utah reported Wednesday. It had several unique features not shared by all of its tyrannosaurus cousins, including a short narrow snout in a skull that was wide in the back and carried forward-oriented eyes, they said. "The width of the back of the skull of Lythronax allowed it to see with an overlapping field of view -- giving it the binocular vision -- very useful for a predator and a condition we associate with T. rex," study author Mark Lowen said. Paleontologists had thought this type of wide-skulled tyrannosaurid only appeared around 70 million years ago, whereas Lythronax shows it had evolved at least 10 million years earlier. Lythronax translates as "king of gore," and the second part of the name, argestes, refers to its geographic location in the American Southwest. Dinosaurs of southern Laramidia (now Utah, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico), although belonging to the same major groups, differ at the species level from those on northern Laramidia (now Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Canada,) the researchers said. "Lythronax may demonstrate that tyrannosaurs followed a pattern similar to what we see in other dinosaurs from this age, with different species living in the north and south at the same time," study co-author Joseph Sertich said.
GMT 13:29 2018 Monday ,01 January
Serbia launches probe after toxic waste dumped near BelgradeGMT 19:03 2017 Thursday ,28 December
Pregnant elephant 'poisoned' in Indonesian palm plantationGMT 16:26 2017 Sunday ,24 December
Nepal's two last known dancing bears rescued: officialsGMT 10:51 2017 Sunday ,24 December
Florida orange industry hit by hurricane, diseaseGMT 09:09 2017 Sunday ,24 December
Modern-day amber 'Klondikes' thrive in troubled UkraineGMT 19:23 2017 Saturday ,23 December
Indonesian pangolin faces extinction due to traffickingGMT 11:37 2017 Friday ,22 December
Global warming may boost asylum-seekers in Europe: studyGMT 07:32 2017 Friday ,22 December
Modern-day Mowgli: Indian toddler forges bond with monkeys
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor