Nanotyrannus
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (67–66 Mya)
- Place
- North America
- Food
- Carnivore
- Clade
- Nanotyrannidae
Nanotyrannus (/ˈnænoʊˌtaɪˌrænəs, -tɪ- /, ) is a genus of tyrannosauroid dinosaur that lived in what is now western North America during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous, . Its fossils are known from the Hell Creek Formation. It was one of the last-known non-avian dinosaurs and lived until the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. The first named species, N. lancensis, was described as a new species of Gorgosaurus in 1946 by Charles W. Gilmore based on a single skull. Re-examination of the specimen in 1988 by Robert T. Bakker, Michael Williams and Philip J. Currie moved the species to a new genus of tyrannosaurid, named Nanotyrannus in reference to its small body size compared to other tyrannosaurids.
Subsequent research indicated that the skull belonged to an immature animal, leading many researchers to favor its identification as a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex.
What we know
- Named by Bakker, Williams & Currie, 1988.
- Fossils found in North America.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Nanotyrannus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.