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Researchers have discovered a new species of dinosaur that dominated the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The Calgary Herald reports that scientists at the University of Calgary helped identify the massive new species named Ulughbegasaurus, which roamed the earth as the supreme predator 90 million years ago.
Researchers were able to identify the new species – which was five times the size of the dreaded T-Rex – thanks to the dinosaur’s fossilized jawbone, which was likely first discovered by a Russian paleontologist during a dig in the 1980s.
The fossil subsequently caught the attention of researchers, Dr Kohei Tanaka and Darla Zelenitsky, associate professor of paleontology at the University of Calgary. After Tanaka initially identified fossils of Ulughbegasaurus in 2019, the two scientists searched for another piece of the predator and found it in the previously unearthed jawbone. After using 3D modeling to connect the fossilized teeth to the jawbone, they were able to identify the new species.
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Zelenitsky said that Ulughbegasaurus was so large that they “probably kept the tyrannosaurus down” and “were obviously better edge predators.”
Zelenitsky added, “The disappearance of (Ulughbegasaurus) probably allowed tyrannosaur species to become the top predators of Asia and North America around 80 to 90 million years ago, which have persisted. in large forms like Albertosaurus, Gorgosaurus and T-Rex. “
The scientist said she was “surprised” that they have just identified “such a large predator” now, calling the discovery “very exciting.”
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The researchers found that the dinosaur was 7.5 to eight meters (24 to 26 feet) long and likely weighed more than 1,000 kilograms (2,204 pounds). Back in the days when Ulughbegasaurus roamed the earth, the T-Rex was not fully evolved and was much smaller in comparison, weighing less than 200 kilograms (440 lbs).
Comparing the two species, Zelenitsky said that Ulughbegasaurus “was like a grizzly bear” if T-Rex had been a coyote.
Zelenitsky also noted a difference in the eating habits of the two dinosaurs, explaining that Ulughbegasaurus “had sharp bites with blade-like teeth, while the T-Rex’s jaws were more intended for crushing bones.”
Ulughbegasaurus went extinct around 89 million years ago, and scientists are still investigating why.
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