torosus, extending the temporal range of the genus by approximately 3.5 million years into the Maastrichtian. ĭale Russell also suggested that a specimen of an immature Albertosaurus (CMN 11315) from the younger Horseshoe Canyon Formation in Alberta actually belonged to a third specimen of Daspletosaurus as D. The Oldman Formation was deposited during the middle Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, from about 79.5 to 77 Ma (million years ago). Both specimens were recovered from the Oldman Formation in the Judith River Group of Alberta. Aside from the type, there is only one other well-known specimen, RTMP 2001.36.1, a relatively complete skeleton discovered in 2001. The type species is Daspletosaurus torosus, the specific name torosus being Latin for 'muscular' or 'brawny'. It was not until 1970 that the specimen was fully described by Dale Russell, who made it the type of a new genus, Daspletosaurus, from the Greek δασπλής ( dasplēs, stem and connective vowel resulting in dasplēto-) ("frightful") and σαυρος ( sauros) ("lizard"). It was discovered in 1921 near Steveville, Alberta, by Charles Mortram Sternberg, who thought it was a new species of Gorgosaurus. The type specimen of Daspletosaurus torosus ( CMN 8506) is a partial skeleton including the skull, the shoulder, a forelimb, the pelvis, a femur, and all of the vertebrae from the neck, torso, and hip, as well as the first eleven tail vertebrae. torosus holotype specimen mounted at the Canadian Museum of Nature. While Daspletosaurus fossils are not as common as other tyrannosaurid fossils, the available specimens allow some analysis of the biology of these animals, including social behavior, diet, and life history. In some areas, Daspletosaurus coexisted with another tyrannosaurid, Gorgosaurus, though there is some evidence of niche differentiation between the two. Daspletosaurus had the small forelimbs typical of tyrannosaurids, although they were proportionately longer than in other genera.Īs an apex predator, Daspletosaurus was at the top of the food chain, probably preying on large dinosaurs like the ceratopsid Centrosaurus and the hadrosaur Hypacrosaurus. Like most tyrannosaurids, Daspletosaurus was a multi-tonne bipedal predator equipped with dozens of large, sharp teeth. Daspletosaurus is closely related to the much larger and more recent tyrannosaurid Tyrannosaurus rex.
degrootorum, but this has not been widely supported. The taxon Thanatotheristes has been suggested to represent a species of Daspletosaurus, D. A possible fourth species, also from Alberta, awaits formal identification. horneri, have been found only in Montana. torosus, have been found in Alberta, and fossils of a later second species, D. The genus Daspletosaurus contains three species. Daspletosaurus ( / d æ s ˌ p l iː t ə ˈ s ɔːr ə s/ das- PLEET-ə- SOR-əs meaning "frightful lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 77 and 75 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period.
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