'Reaper of Death': Older dinosaur species related to T-Rex discovered in Canada

Canadian scientists have announced that they have discovered a brand new species of dinosaur. The new species of dinosaur is closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex that strode the plain of North America about 80 million years ago. This new species of dinosaur is believed to be the oldest member of the T-rex family.

An older version of the T-Rex?

According to researchers, the Thanatotheristes Degrootorum would have grown around 26 feet in length. Its name translated from Greek means the 'reaper of death'. According to Darla Zelenitsky, who is an assistant professor of dinosaur palaeobiology at Canada’s University of Calgary, the new species of dinosaur was named that way because, as per their research it was the only known large apex predator of its time in Canada.

Zelenitsky says the dinosaur's nickname has come to be Thanatos. Thanatos was discovered by Jared Voris, a PhD student at Calgary. This is the first new species of a tyrannosaur found in Canada in 50 years.

While the T rex stalked the Earth 66 million years ago, Thanatos dates back to 79 million years ago according to researchers. The study determined that Thanatos had a long, deep snout, similar to more primitive tyrannosaurs that lived in Southern US.
The study also mentions that the difference in the skull shapes of multiple tyrannosaurs could be attributed to differences in diet, and dependent on the prey available at the time.

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120-million fossil

Last month, scientists in China found a 120 million-year-old fossil of a two-legged Cretaceous-era dinosaur. Interestingly, the fossil was found about a decade ago but it was not until recently that the study began. The study which was published in The Anatomical Record revealed that the creature had feathers on its legs and arms that resembled feathers on bird wings. According to the study, the creature had a bony tail which also had two feathers on it. 

The study revealed that the skeleton was preserved lying on its left side on a single bedding plane of finely laminated siltstone. The specimen is complete; only some ribs are missing. Fortunately, the existing thin ventral ribs and gastralia are numerous, well preserved, and in life position, the study stated. However, researchers are still not clear about the reason behind the feathers on the tail.

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(Image Credit: Pixabay)