Rex, Imperator and Regina: the 'Tyrannosaurus' family grows with two possible new species

• 130 million years ago The 'Pompeii' of the dinosaurs buried by a volcano in China

The

is one of the best-known dinosaurs thanks mainly to the cinema, but this Tuesday it has become clear that there is still much to be found out about this animal baptized as the tyrant lizard king and that it lived between 84 and 66 million years ago in the territory that is now North America.

After analyzing 37 skeletons, a team of scientists has realized that the animal that until now has been called

was not a single species, but rather

there were probably three, for which they are already proposing new names:

and

As they argue in the journal in

their analysis revealed physical differences in the femur and other bones, as well as in the structure of their teeth that have made them consider the need to reclassify these animals into three different groups or species.

species was recognized within the

group or genus of dinosaurs,

despite the fact that previous studies had already confirmed variations both in the femur of some of these animals and in the incisors that they had in their jaw.

Differences in the femur and denture

The team led by independent researcher Gregory Paul analyzed the femurs and dental remains of those 37

noting that some specimens had more robust femurs than others.

The femur of some skeletons was twice as robust, which suggests that it is not a difference due to the sex of the dinosaur or its age, since they found very robust femurs in both young and adult specimens.

Tooth structure also varied among the analyzed skeletons.

"We have discovered that the changes in the femur of

are probably not related to the sex or age of each specimen. We think that they could have evolved over time from a common ancestor that had more robust femurs, and that becoming more graceful in later species," said Gregory Paul, who believes there are reasons to potentially consider these animals being classified into separate species.

However, he admits that they cannot rule out that the variations observed may be due to extreme differences between individuals or to atypical sexual dimorphism (significant external physical differences between males and females).

Tyrannosaurus imperator

, which can be translated as tyrant lizard emperor, is the name proposed by this team for specimens found in lower and intermediate sediment layers and characterized by more robust femurs and usually two incisor teeth.

The second potential new species,

(tyrannical lizard queen), would be made up of skeletons found in the upper sediment layers and characterized by thinner femurs and a single incisor.

The name

would be reserved for specimens identified in the upper layers and some intermediate layer, with robust femurs but only one incisor.

There were some skeletons whose remains did not allow them to be classified, so they have not been assigned to any of the three specific species.

Tyrannosaurus were

to 13 meters long, weighed between 5 and 10 tons, and had huge jaws with the most powerful bite force ever seen in a land animal.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

StoriesThe scientists who follow the foot of the La Palma volcano: "Now is the time to enjoy it"

Climate crisis Annual deaths from extreme heat in Spain will go from 1,500 to 8,000 in 2050 if emissions remain high

ResearchThe reform of the Science Law, insufficient to attract talent: "You return to Spain and it's like starting from scratch"

See links of interest

• War Ukraine Russia

• Last News

• Foster children Ukraine

• Topics

• Work calendar 2022

• Time change

• best colleges

• Atalanta - Sampdoria

• Granada CF - Cadiz

• Malaga - FC Cartagena