A New Species of Tiny Tyrannosaur Helps Explain the Rise of T. rex

By Eric Betz
Feb 21, 2019 10:30 PMMay 17, 2019 10:17 PM
moros intrepidus the tyrannosaur
Moros intrepidus, a new species of tyrannosaur whose name means "harbinger of doom," weighed just 200 pounds as a fully grown adult. (Credit: Jorge Gonzalez, Copyright: Lindsay Zanno)

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cientists have discovered a new species of tiny tyrannosaur that lived some 95 million years ago in what’s now Utah. The find helps fill a frustrating gap in the fossil record at a critical time when tyrannosaurs were evolving from small, speedy hunters, into the bone-crushing apex predators we know so well.

The new dinosaur has been dubbed Moros intrepidus, and its name means “harbinger of doom.” The creature, known only from a leg bone and some various teeth, weighed under 200 pounds as a fully-grown adult. It was a specialist predator and scientists say it was fast enough to easily run down prey while avoiding other meat-eaters.

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