T. Rex Cousin, Zhuchengtyrannus Magnus, The Great Tyrant From Zhucheng, Discovered In China

T. rex has some tough competition... but at least it's all in the family. A new dinosaur species, comparable in size to the T. rex, was recently uncovered in China.

According to LiveScience, the new species was found in the Chinese city of Zhucheng and thus was named Zhuchengtyrannus magnus, "Great Tyrant from Zhucheng." Ironically, construction workers found the remains while building a museum for other fossils. The fossil quarry, along with nearby sites, contains the largest concentration of dinosaur bones in the world. It is believed that the area was once a floodplain where dinosaur bodies washed together.

Zhuchengtyrannus was a tyrannosaurine, which lived in North America and eastern Asia during the Cretaceous period. This tyrannosaurine, along with the T. rex, belonged to a group of giant theropods known as "beast-footed" dinosaurs, known for their bone-crushing jaws. Estimates suggest Zhuchengtyrannus measured 13 feet tall, 36 feet wide, and weighed over 13,000 pounds... equivalent to the weight of a school bus.

Researcher David Hone told LiveScience, "It's the first China-only tyrannosaurine, and it's one of the biggest ever -- there are only five carnivorous theropods bigger by my count." Hone estimates that the Zhuchengtyrannus is "just a smidge under T-rex-sized," although he can only base his guess on the skull and jaw bones which were found. These findings were detailed in the journal Cretaceous Research.

Wired Magazine reports that one of the key members of the team, Xu Xing, is a famous paleontologist who has uncovered and named over 30 dinosaur species. According to National Geographic, Xu Xing has found feathered specimens which have "challenged the conventional wisdom on what dinosaurs looked like." This recent Zhuchengtyrannus finding perhaps just challenges any beast formerly believed to be the Great Tyrant from Zhucheng.

Comments

[turboturd]

10:52 PM on 04/12/2011

Zhuchengtyrannus wasn't quite as good as sports as his cousin but he always knew where to find the most food.

[Murphdogg]

12:38 PM on 04/11/2011

I had to rescan the headline -- on first glace I thought they named a dinosaur after Mark Zuckerberg.

[cornel]

04:16 PM on 04/04/2011

Damned, the Chinese are caching up !

[Arlo Hanlin Hemphill]

03:36 PM on 04/04/2011

This is awesome! Dinosaur heaven!

[More tea Vicar]

01:37 PM on 04/04/2011

The GOP are still looking for a live one; they think it's their only chance to beat Obama. Given their current line up it's probably their best shot.

[starmanx]

02:26 PM on 04/04/2011

Absolutely priceless! You nailed it, Dude!

[P51MUSTANG]

01:25 PM on 04/04/2011

T. Rex's cousin:

L. Rex?

J-Rexx?

Vanilla Rex?

[Murphdogg]

12:39 PM on 04/11/2011

Don't forget the reptile formerly known as P. Rex.

[Jeremyewilliams]

01:10 PM on 04/04/2011

So, how exactly did jesus ride on this one? Waiting on a response baggers.

[roger37]

01:46 PM on 04/04/2011

They're looking for the Jeebus Saddle now.

[spearsspears]

11:46 PM on 04/06/2011

With Jesus, all things are possible.

[kareemachan]

12:24 PM on 04/04/2011

I find it funny that they found these bones when building a museum for all those other bones...

[FlaviaDeLuce]

12:45 PM on 04/04/2011

Yeah pretty neat

[ScapeGoat]

12:14 PM on 04/04/2011

and to think it only lived 6,000 years ago!!!! (sarcasm)

[olephart]

12:24 PM on 04/04/2011

It missed getting on the Ark by this much; holds thumb and forefinger slightly apart.

[ScapeGoat]

03:42 PM on 04/04/2011

Oh, so that's what happened to it!

[Gregory Marshall]

12:24 PM on 04/04/2011

Do you think they found a saddle near by?

[ScapeGoat]

03:41 PM on 04/04/2011

Can I please ride it?

[geojus1]

12:07 PM on 04/04/2011

WWJD

answer: run!!

[bryanzth]

12:46 PM on 04/04/2011

If the Romans "nailed" him, a T-Rexian would catch 'im for sure.

BZ.

[OutAtFirst]

11:34 AM on 04/04/2011

If time travel ever became a reality, the age of dinosaurs would be pretty far up on my list of destinations. Provided there was a reliable and fast escape button.

[kareemachan]

12:22 PM on 04/04/2011

You should read 'Rivers of Time' by L. Sprague de Camp - it is a compilation of short stories about that very thing. And fun.

[Spock]

09:14 PM on 04/05/2011

Bring a lot deet with you.

[minnvoter]

11:09 AM on 04/04/2011

Just a thought here. The shape of the skull and the tooth pattern closely resembles that in many dragon pictures I've seen.

Makes me wonder if someone didn't find a complete skull like this one somewhere over there back in the day and used it to conclude that 'dragons' existed somewhere - and here is the proof. And then the story expanded from there.

[nogravity]

11:17 AM on 04/04/2011

I've always thought that. A fossil, along with the remains of a princess, was found and an explanation was created.

[OHwhatcouldabeenin2000]

11:18 AM on 04/04/2011

This is actually the explanation used by a lot of greek historians to explains myths like the cyclops etc.. pretty cool stuff

[MikeDu]

11:38 AM on 04/04/2011

I have a book on that topic. If someone were to assemble the scattered bones of an extinct Cretan miniature elephant without knowing what an elephant was he'd probably come up with something looking convincingly like a one-eye'd giant.

[CropCircles]

10:46 AM on 04/04/2011

"Estimates suggest Zhuchengtyrannus measured 13 feet tall, 36 feet wide, and weighed over 13,000 pounds..."

I can visualize the 13 feet tall and 13,000 pounds figures, but "36 feet wide?" Seems like that is more of a measurement for length.

[kareemachan]

12:23 PM on 04/04/2011

That's one fat dinosaur! ;-)

[bryanzth]

12:53 PM on 04/04/2011

Susie* Susie can't you hide?
No, she can't get into the bathroom at all
'Cause she's 13 feet tall
And 36 feet wide!!!

BZ.
____
* Sue, the Chicago T-Rex in the Field Museum

[jcarterla]

10:37 AM on 04/04/2011

Does he have a birth certificate?

[Mr e MaN]

10:56 AM on 04/04/2011

It's ok this dinosaur is not a threat to the status quo

[olephart]

12:21 PM on 04/04/2011

Neither is the President.

[starmanx]

02:43 PM on 04/04/2011

Ok, 21 fans, show some respect for President Obama. Wrong pigmentation, I suppose.

[Aldyth]

11:38 AM on 04/04/2011

I've heard the bones were actually found in Kenya.

[olephart]

12:22 PM on 04/04/2011

And they were educated in a Madrasah.

[VietVet67]

10:28 AM on 04/04/2011

Jan Brewer?

[kareemachan]

12:23 PM on 04/04/2011

Oh snap!

[bryanzth]

12:58 PM on 04/04/2011

Very very remote linkage

Chinese Ghost Story I - the tongue of the evil one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwfBIsU_GTo

IF you don't know the linkage, you gotta see this film. It is one of the best from that era. But when I link Jan Brewer with Chinese and a monster, I get this linkage! :)

BTW, the dubbing is in German. I ain't got any more time! Ich habe keine Zeit mehr!

BZ.