Lythronax
Lythronax is an extinct genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur. It lived about 80 million years ago (mya) in what is now southern Utah. L. argestes is the oldest known tyrannosaurid based on its stratigraphic position.[1]
| Lythronax Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Reconstructed skeleton alongside those of other tyrannosaurs, Science Center of Iowa | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Lythronax |
| Type species | |
| †Lythronax argestes Loewen et al., 2013
| |
Comparisons to its close relatives suggest that Lythronax would have been about 8 m (26.2 ft) long, with a weight of around 2.5 tonnes (5,500 lb) and had a large skull filled with sharp teeth.[2]
The rostrum[3] is comparatively short: it makes up less than two thirds of the total skull length. The whole skull is very broad, 0.4 times as wide as long. Overall, the skull is similar to that of Tyrannosaurus and Tarbosaurus. Its robust jaws have two sizes of teeth: its first five teeth are much larger than the other six. Behind the skull, the rest of the skeleton is similar to that of other tyrannosaurids.[1]
Lythronax Media
Skeletal diagrams showing holotype remains of Lythronax (A) and a Teratophoneus specimen (B). N–P show selected bones of the former
Size comparison of the tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur Lythronax argestes. The silhouette is based on Scott Hartman's skeletal reconstruction[1] and scaled based on Loewen et.
Holotype skull reconstructed from 3D scans shown in multiple views
Life restoration showing hypothetical feathers
Skull reconstruction (A), known skull bones (B), and selected skull bones of the holotype (C–J)
Correlation between sea level change and evolutionary diversification of Tyrannosauroidea as hypothesized by Loewen and colleagues in 2013
Lythronax with contemporary dinosaurs of the Wahweap Formation
.png)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Loewen M.A. et al (2013). Tyrant dinosaur evolution tracks the rise and fall of late Cretaceous oceans. In Evans, David C. PLoS ONE 8 (11): e79420. [1]
- ↑ "T. rex gets a new relative: Lythronax argestes, gore king of the south". Walking with dinosaurs. David Hone. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ↑ front part of skull