Meet ‘Dragon prince’ — the newly discovered T. rex relative that roamed Mongolia 86 million years ago
‘Dragon prince’ Dinosaur Species Identified in Mongolia
A previously unknown species of dinosaur, dubbed the “dragon prince” (Glue Mongolivesis), has been identified from fossils found in Mongolia. This discovery offers new insights into the evolution of tyrannosaurs, the family that includes Tyrannosaurus rex.
Jared Voris, a researcher at the University of Calgary and co-author of the study, said the find reveals the “princes before they took the mantle of kingship” among tyrannosauroids.
The dragon prince, which roamed the Earth approximately 86 million years ago, possessed features similar to tyrannosaurs but was significantly smaller. It measured about 13 feet in length and weighed around 1,650 pounds. In comparison, T. rex could reach lengths of 41 feet and weigh over 20,000 pounds. The dragon prince also had a smaller head and longer arms than its later relatives.
Image credit: Jared Voris
Thomas Holtz, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Maryland, noted that the discovery provides “a better sense of what this intermediate phase of tyrannosaur history is like.”
Voris believes the fossils represent small adult individuals, citing features such as fused vertebrae and developed horns. Darla Zelenitsky, a paleontologist at the University of Calgary, suggests that K.mongoliensis likely preyed on animals smaller than itself, unlike later tyrannosaurs that hunted large sauropods.
Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Edinburgh, emphasized the importance of the specimens’ age, stating that they are “about 86 million years old, a good 20 million years older than T.rex,” indicating that tyrannosaurs were relatively small at this time.
Further analysis revealed potential migration patterns of tyrannosaurs between Asia and North america. around 85 million years ago, K. mongoliensis or a similar species may have migrated to North America, giving rise to the first true tyrannosaurs there. Later, around 78 million years ago, another migration brought tyrannosaurs back to Asia, leading to the evolution of diverse subgroups.
“they [tyrannosauroids] were the princes before they took the mantle of kingship,” said Jared Voris, University of Calgary.
What’s next
Future research may include cross-sections of the bones to confirm the adult status of the specimens and further investigate the growth rings, pending permission due to the fossils’ rarity. This new find contributes significantly to understanding the evolutionary history and geographic distribution of these iconic predators.