Closest T. Rex Relative May Have Been an Even Bigger Predator

Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis is a newly identified species of the eponymous T.rex.

The newfound species, Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis, was around the same size as T. rex and could have been even larger. / Image credit: Sergei Krasinski)

Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis is a newly identified species that ruled North America a few million years before the eponymous T.rex. According to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, the new species is the closest known relative of the “tyrant lizard king” yet discovered.

And it may have grown even larger!

Spotting the Differences

The newfound species was identified from a partial fossilized skull that paleontologists unearthed back in 1983 while exploring the Hall Lake Formation in New Mexico. The skull was originally classified as belonging to a T. rex and has been displayed at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (NMMNHS) ever since.

But, Anthony Fiorillo at the NMMNHS and his colleagues re-examined the skull and noticed subtle yet suspicious anomalies in its shape. They propose that the specimen represents a distinct species, which they named Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis in reference to the McRae Group layers in which it was found.