Scientists digging in Zhucheng (dubbed the dinosaur city in Shandong Province on the Chinese mainland) have struck paleontological gold. Their latest find: a colossal tyrannosaur that could give Sue, the world's most complete and famous T. rex, a run for her money.
Among the fossils is a 1.21-meter-long femur, the longest tyrannosaur thigh bone ever discovered in Asia. A vertebra wider than 28 centimeters suggests this beast stretched over 12 meters from snout to tail.
"This dinosaur belongs to a new species we previously named Zhuchengtyrannus magnus. It's the earliest tyrannosaur found in Zhucheng," explains Chen Shuqing, head of publicity at Zhucheng's dinosaur research center.
While researchers continue studying the fossils to confirm their species, the sheer size of these bones lends weight to a hypothesis long in debate: that North America's iconic tyrannosaurs, including T. rex, may trace their roots back to Asia.
Zhucheng, in eastern Shandong Province on the Chinese mainland, has already yielded more than 10 new dinosaur species. This discovery cements its reputation as a global hotspot for uncovering prehistoric giants and offers a new chapter in the story of Earth's most famous predators.
Reference(s):
Tyrannosaur fossils found in China rival 'Sue,' world's largest T. rex
cgtn.com
