| Thanatotheristes Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
| |
| An artist's illustration (Julius T. Csotonyi) of Thanatotheristes degrootorum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Genus: | †Thanatotheristes Voris, 2020 |
| Species: | T. degrootorum |
| Type species | |
| †Thanatotheristes degrootorum Russell, 1970 | |
Thanatotheristes (meaning "reaper of death") is an extinct genus of tyrannosaurid theropod that lived in the late cretaceous of North America. The type species is Thanatotheristes degrootorum.
Discovery and Naming[]
The holotype (TMP 2010 5.7) was discovered in the Foremost Formation of Canada in 2008. In 2020, it was formally described as a new species of tyrannosaurid. The generic name combines the Greek words thánatos (meaning "death") and theristḗs (meaning "harvester"), while the species name is named after John and Sandra De Groot.
Description[]
The holotype consists of a right maxilla, right jugal, right postorbital, right surangular, right quadrate, right laterosphenoid, left frontal, and both dentaries. Another specimen consists of a fragmented right maxilla. The length of the skull is approximately 800 millimeters (31 inches). It is characterized by a rounded and inflated orbital margin of the jugal, the crest on the frontal extends near the front to the supratemporal ridge as a broad and rounded ridge, etc. It has the length of 8m (26ft). It is smaller than Daspletosaurus, and the holotype was not mature at the time of death.
Classification[]
It is classified as a member of daspletosaurini.
Gallery[]
