Diminutive fleet-footed tyrannosauroid narrows the 70-million-year gap in the North American fossil record

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zanno_diminutive_2019.pdf(4.1 MB)
Date
2019-02-21
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Springer Nature
Abstract
To date, eco-evolutionary dynamics in the ascent of tyrannosauroids to top predator roles have been obscured by a 70-million-year gap in the North American (NA) record. Here we report discovery of the oldest Cretaceous NA tyrannosauroid, extending the lineage by ~15 million years. The new taxon-Moros intrepidus gen. et sp. nov.-is represented by a hind limb from an individual nearing skeletal maturity at 6-7 years. With a ~1.2-m limb length and 78-kg mass, M. intrepidus ranks among the smallest Cretaceous tyrannosauroids, restricting the window for rapid mass increases preceding the appearance of colossal eutyrannosaurs. Phylogenetic affinity with Asian taxa supports transcontinental interchange as the means by which iconic biotas of the terminal Cretaceous were established in NA. The unexpectedly diminutive and highly cursorial bauplan of NA's earliest Cretaceous tyrannosauroids reveals an evolutionary strategy reliant on speed and small size during their prolonged stint as marginal predators.
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CITATION: Zanno, Lindsay E. et al. 2019. Diminutive fleet-footed tyrannosauroid narrows the 70-million-year gap in the North American fossil record. Communications Biology, 2:64, doi:10.1038/s42003-019-0308-7.
The original publication is available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.
Keywords
Tyrannosauroids -- North America, Tyrannosauridae -- Phylogeny, Cretaceous tyrannosauroids -- North America, Predators, Reptiles, Fossil, Fossils -- Collection and preservation
Citation
Zanno, Lindsay E. et al. 2019. Diminutive fleet-footed tyrannosauroid narrows the 70-million-year gap in the North American fossil record. Communications Biology, 2:64, doi:10.1038/s42003-019-0308-7
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http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125200
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Research Articles (Earth Sciences)