Tale of another Jurassic monster
Newly named dinosaur species Zhuchengtyrannus magnus
Paleontologists, have very recently unearthed a new species of gigantic therapod dinosaur in China. Based on the fossilized remains of the skull and jaw bones, it is presumed to be one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs ever to be found. It might be the long lost relative of the legendary predator, the mighty T-Rex. Details of the research, which have been published online in the 1st April edition of the scientific journal Cretaceous Research, testimonies that the ancient creature has been named "Zhuchengtyrannus magnus", meaning the "Great Tyrant from Zhucheng", chiefly because the bones were found in the city of Zhucheng, in eastern China's Shandong province. It is this very site that holds one of the largest concentrations of dinosaur bones in the whole world. According to Paleontologists, this is because this very area was a large flood plain where many dinosaur bodies were washed together during floods which eventually started the process of fossilization of their remains. Given the fact that only portions of the skull and jaw bones (so far) have been recovered, the team of researchers was successful in estimating the size of the ancient beast. Measuring about 11 meters long (36 feet), 4 meters tall (13 feet) and weighing about 6 tones (13,000 pounds, equivalent to that of a school bus), Zhuchengtyrannus magnus (Z. Mag from now on) belongs to the group of gigantic theropods called tyrannosaurines, the Jurassic creature which roamed N. America and Eastern Asia during the late Cretaceous period that lasted from 99 to 65 million years ago. They were especially known for their small arms, two-fingered hands and large powerful jaws that could deliver brutally powerful and bone-crushing bites.
Scientists believe that Z. Mag is quite different in appearance from other tyrannosaurines due to the fact that this particular creature has a combination of unique feathers in the skull which is not seen in any other theropods. And as the study dug deeper, it was found that the bones were just a few centimeters smaller than the equivalent ones in the largest T.Rex specimen which clearly told the scientists that Zhuchengtyrannus was, in fact, a huge tyrannosaurine.
It is believed that China, along with numerous other enigmatic mysteries, houses an astonishing array of paleontological wonders which is why some of the most significant ones were made in that very region. It was back in 2009 when the bones of Z. Mag were found and the discovery was made when construction crews were digging the foundations for a museum where other fossils were to be preserved. During the time of excavations, aside from the remains of Z. Mag, the scientists unearthed physiological belongings of another gigantic species of duck-billed dinosaur which is known as Shantungosaurus giganteus, which might have been Z. Mag's prey, as well as some unidentified Ankylosaurs.
The study was led by Dr. David Hone from the School of Biology and Environmental Science at University College Dublin, Ireland who was also the lead author of the paper. And amongst other participators, was the famed Xu Xing of the Beijing Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in China, who named this very creature along with more than 30 other dinosaurs in his distinguished career.
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