Dinosaurs A to Z
Tyrannosauridae

Daspletosaurus das-pliːtuh-SƆːRUHS

"frightful lizard"

Generic theropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Daspletosaurus 9 m (29.5 ft) long
as long as 6 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic theropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Daspletosaurus
Length
9 m (29.5 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (77–74.4 Mya)
Place
North America · Canada · Mexico · India
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Tyrannosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Tyrannosauroidea Late-Cretaceous tyrants: T. rex, Tarbosaurus, Albertosaurus.

Daspletosaurus ( ; meaning “frightful lizard”) is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 77 and 74.4 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. The genus Daspletosaurus contains three named species. Fossils of the earlier type species, D. torosus, have been found in Alberta, while fossils of a later species, D. horneri, have been found in Montana and Alberta. D. wilsoni has been suggested as an intermediate species between D. torosus and D. horneri that evolved through anagenesis, though further research may be required to definitively support the theory.

There are also multiple specimens which may represent new species of Daspletosaurus from Alberta and Montana, but these have not been formally described. The taxon Thanatotheristes has been suggested to represent a species of Daspletosaurus, D.

What we know

  • Named by Russell, 1970.
  • Body length estimated at about 9 m.
  • Fossils found in North America and Canada.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Daspletosaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.