The king of the dinosaurs has finally found its prince.
A team of paleontologists from the University of Calgary has discovered a new species of dinosaur, called Khankhuuluu, that is the closest-known ancestor to the tyrannosaurs. Their findings, published in Nature, are changing the evolutionary history of one of the world’s most famous dinosaurs.
The name Khankhuuluu comes from the Mongolian for “the dragon prince” and was chosen because the new species is suspected to be the last step in the lineage before the appearance of everyone’s favorite apex predator.
“We wanted something to epitomize how it’s not quite the king yet,” said Jared Voris, first author and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Earth, Energy and Environment at UCalgary, in a press release. “Tyrannosaurs are often referred to as kings of the Cretaceous, and Tyrannosaurus rex means the tyrant lizard king, so we wanted something that comes before a king, which is a prince.”
What Did Khankhuuluu Look Like?
Khankhuuluu roamed the Earth around 86 million years ago. Although it does share many characteristics with the Tyrannosaurus, it was quite a bit smaller. It would have been about the size of a horse and weighed around 1600 pounds.
The new species had small horns that would not have been as intimidating or as effective in mating practices as those from descended tyrannosaurs like Albertosaurus or Gorgosaurus. It also lacked the jaw strength of the T. rex since its head was long and shallow.
The Khankhuuluu may not have had the sheer brute force of the tyrannosaurs, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a successful predator. Characterized as a mesopredator, the Khankhuuluu was actually quite similar to modern-day coyotes in its hunting practices — its speed and agility making up for what it lacked in power.
Read More: Is the T. Rex Three Different Species?
How Khankhuuluu Became Tyrannosaurus
The fossils of the Khankhuuluu are not a new find. Paleontologist Altangerel Perle originally discovered it in the Bayanshiree Formation in southeastern Mongolia during the 1970s. The theory, up until now, put forth by Perle was that Khankhuuluu was another medium-sized tyrannosaur called Alectrosaurus from China.
As part of his Ph.D. studies, Voris travelled to study fossils at the Institute of Paleontology in Mongolia. While examining the Khankhuuluu fossils, he realized that there were many features that differentiated them from the Alectrosaurus and that they were likely a different species altogether.
“Finding a new species is always exciting,” said Darla Zelenitsky, a paleontologist and associate professor in the Department of Earth, Energy and Environment at UCalgary, in the press release. “It tells us how tyrannosaurs as a group became so diverse and successful at the end of the Cretaceous.”
What this new discovery taught scientists was important insights into the movement and evolution of the Tyrannosaurs.
Khankhuuluu is now the last known tyrannosaur ancestor found in Asia. What this means is that Khankhuuluu were the species that made the long trek over the land bridge from Asia to North America over millions of years. Once in North America, this new species would eventually evolve into Tyrannosaurus.
“We’ve never really had a good representation of that transition. This new species actually provides us that window into the ascent stage of tyrannosaurs; right when they’re transitioning to the apex predator form,” said Voris in the press release.
The Future of Tyrannosaur Research
The results of this study are changing what we know about the Tyrannosaurus. This new species indicates that Tyrannosaurus moved from Asia to North America and back again much less frequently and much more purposefully than previously thought.
“Khankhuuluu, or a closely related species, would have immigrated to North America from Asia around 85 million years ago. Our study provides solid evidence that large tyrannosaurs first evolved in North America as a result of this immigration event,” said Zelenitsky in the press release.
Researchers hope to continue learning more about early ancestors of the Tyrannosaurus, like Khankhuuluu, as not much is currently known about them.
Read More: The Tyrannosaurus Rex Origin Story May Not Have Started in North America
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As the marketing coordinator at Discover Magazine, Stephanie Edwards interacts with readers across Discover's social media channels and writes digital content. Offline, she is a contract lecturer in English & Cultural Studies at Lakehead University, teaching courses on everything from professional communication to Taylor Swift, and received her graduate degrees in the same department from McMaster University. You can find more of her science writing in Lab Manager and her short fiction in anthologies and literary magazine across the horror genre.
