KEY POINTS

  • New tyrannosaur species named Thanatoteristes degrootorum
  • Name means "Reaper of Death" in Greek
  • Earliest known tyrannosaur in N. America
  • Nicknamed Thanatos
  • Allow for better understanding of tyrannosaur evolution

Scientists discovered a new species of dinosaur in Canada.

According to BBC, the reptile lived in North America during the Cretaceous Period some 80 million years ago, making it the oldest known tyrannosaur from the region.

The discovery, scientists said, allowed them to have new insights on the tyrannosaur’s evolution.

The dinosaur stood at about eight feet tall, was carnivorous, had a deep, long snout, bumps on its skull and “steak-knife-like-teeth” which were about 2.7 inches long.

The species was named Thanatoteristes degrootorum which means “Reaper of Death” in Greek.

"We chose a name that embodies what this tyrannosaur was as the only known large apex predator of its time in Canada, the reaper of death," said Darla Zelenitsky, a palaeobiology professor who co-authored the study.

John De Groot, a farmer and a paleontology enthusiast came across the tyrannosaur’s fragmented fossils in 2010 while taking hiking near Hays, a hamlet in southern Alberta.

"The jawbone was an absolutely stunning find," said Mr De Groot. "We knew it was special because you could clearly see the fossilised teeth."

The dinosaur was given the nickname Thanatos.

Scientists are hopeful that the discovery of Thanatos would fill the gaps in knowledge regarding the evolution of the tyrannosaurus species as fossil records show sparse information.

A team of researchers have discovered new information about the Tyrannosaurus Rex aging process after determining that a pair of skeletons were adolescent T-rex, not a different species altogether
A team of researchers have discovered new information about the Tyrannosaurus Rex aging process after determining that a pair of skeletons were adolescent T-rex, not a different species altogether GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / WIN MCNAMEE
Canada