About This File
Nanotyrannus ("tiny tyrant") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur, and is possibly a
juvenile specimen of Tyrannosaurus. Represented only by a small skull it was discovered by Charles W. Gilmore in 1942 and described in 1946 as a
specimen of Gorgosaurus lancensis (now known as Albertosaurus).In 1988, the
specimen was re-described by Robert T. Bakker, Phil Currie, and Michael Williams,
the late curator of paleontology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where
the original specimen was housed and is currently on display. Initial research indicated
that the skull bones were fused, and that it therefore represented an adult specimen.
In light of this, Bakker and colleagues assigned the skull to a new genus, which they
named Nanotyrannus for its apparently small size.However, subsequent work has cast
doubt on this, and some paleontologists no longer consider it a valid genus--since the
fossil was a contemporary of Tyrannosaurus rex, many paleontologists now believe it to
be a juvenile T.rex, especially since the discovery in 2001 of new Nanotyrannus specimen,
nicknamed "Jane." The original Nanotyrannus specimen is estimated to have been around
17 feet (5.2 meters) long when it died.
In 2001, a more complete juvenile tyrannosaur ("Jane"),
belonging to the same species as the original Nanotyrannus specimen, was uncovered.
In 2005, a conference on tyrannosaurs focused on the issues of Nanotyrannus validity
brought about by the discovery of the Jane specimen, was held at the Burpee Museum of
Natural History. Several paleontologists, such as Phil Currie and Donald M. Henderson,
saw the discovery of Jane as a confirmation that Nanotyrannus was a juvenile T. rex or
closely related species.Peter Larson, on the other hand, continued to support a
separate genus for Nanotyrannus.The actual scientific study of Jane, set to be
published by Bakker, Larson, and Currie, may help determine whether Nanotyrannus is a
valid genus, whether it simply represents a juvenile T. rex, or whether it is a new
species of a previously identified genus of tyrannosaur.
Bakker has stated he believes Nanotyrannus hunted in packs. Teeth from multiple Nanotyrannus have been found in the bones of herbivorous dinosaurs.
In 2008, Nanotyrannus was featured in the second episode of Jurassic Fight Club, a pseudo-documentary about prehistoric predators.[8] The episode dismissed the ongoing scientific debate on the validity of the Nanotyrannus genus, with the producers preferring instead to present a speculative battle between two juvenile Tyrannosaurus and one Nanotyrannus (which was possibly a juvenile Tyrannosaurus). The episode depicted both genera as having pronated hands (hands with downward or backward-facing palms), something tyrannosaurids could not do.[9] The episode relied heavily on speculation to determine who would be the victor in the battle between the similar (or possibly synonymous) genera. Some television reviewers felt the battles depicted in the series were over-hyped and remarked negatively on the producers and experts' speculation about what the animals were thinking.[10]
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