Gigantic Dinosaur Discovered

Saturday April 2, 2011

Zhuchengtyrannus magnus Credit: © Robert Nicholls

A new species of dinosaur has been discovered in eastern China that is thought to be a relative of T. rex. This carnivorous dinosaur, Zhuchengtyrannus magnus, is estimated to have been 36 feet long, stood 13 feet tall, and weighed nearly 6 tons. Belonging to a group of enormous theropods called tyrannosaurines, Zhuchengtyrannus magnus had a huge powerful jaw, small arms, and hands with two fingers.
Information about the find is published in the scientific journal Cretaceous Research. According to lead author Dr. David Hone, "Zhuchengtyrannus can be distinguished from other tyrannosaurines by a combination of unique features in the skull not seen in any other theropod. We named the new genus Zhuchengtyrannus magnus - which means the 'Tyrant from Zhucheng' - because the bones were found in the city of Zhucheng, in eastern China's Shandong Province." The fossilized remains of the dinosaur were discovered along with several other dinosaur remains in an area that used to be a large flood plain. It is believed that the bodies were washed into the plain during floods and later became fossilized.