A giant tyrannosaur from the Campanian–Maastrichtian of southern North America and the evolution of tyrannosaurid gigantism

Abstract

Tyrannosaurid dinosaurs dominated as predators in the Late Cretaceous of Laurasia, culminating in the evolution of the giant Tyrannosaurus rex, both the last and largest tyrannosaurid. Where and when Tyrannosaurini (T. rex and kin) originated remains unclear. Competing hypotheses place tyrannosaurin origins in Asia, or western North America (Laramidia). We report a new tyrannosaurin, Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis, from the Campanian–Maastrichtian Hall Lake Formation of New Mexico, based on a fossil previously referred to T. rex. T. mcraeensis predates T. rex by ~ 6–7 million years, yet rivaled it in size. Phylogenetic analysis recovers T. mcraeensis as sister to T. rex and suggests Tyrannosaurini originated in southern Laramidia. Evolution of giant tyrannosaurs in southern North America, alongside giant ceratopsians, hadrosaurs, and titanosaurs suggests large-bodied dinosaurs evolved at low latitudes in North America.