Tyrannosauroidea
Tyrannosauroidea means "Tyrant lizard forms", and is a clade of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that includes also the family Tyrannosaurinae.
They lived on the Laurasian supercontinent from the Jurassic era, until the end of the Cretaceous era. They were extremely successful, eliminating other giant Theropods such as Carcharodontosaurs, Allosaurs, and Megalosaurs.
Tyrannosauroidea means "Tyrant lizard forms", and is a clade of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that includes also the family Tyrannosaurinae.
They lived on the Laurasian supercontinent from the Jurassic era, until the end of the Cretaceous era. They were extremely successful, eliminating other giant Theropods such as Carcharodontosaurs, Allosaurs, and Megalosaurs.
Members of the Tyrannosauroidea clade have been found as fossils in North America, Europe, Asia, and possibly Australia and South America.
Characteristics
Tyrannosauroids were mostly small-to medium-sized animals in their first 80 million years, becoming then, in their last 20 million years, became the biggest terrestrial predators that ever walked the Earth.
Early Tyrannosauroids were small animals, with longer and thinner skulls (in proportion), longer forelimbs, with three-fingered hands, and also thinner bodies. Last Tyrannosauroids instead, were huge animals (the biggest of them being the Tyrannosaurus rex , at 40-46 ft or 12-13.6 meters long and weighing between 9-11 tons). They had thicker and stronger skulls, with a deadlier bite-force, shorter forelimbs, with only two fingers, and were overall more robust ( with a few exceptions ).
Feathers and Crests
Most Tyrannosauroids had proto-feathers, as it was find a Dilong fossil in 2004 preserving feathers and also a 9 meter long animal called Yutyrannus huali, with the same characteristics. It is considered that they, being related to birds used the feathers for heat regulation and display. Early tyrannosauroids also also crests, especially the Proceratosauridae family, with Guanlong wucaii crest being the most prominent . The Proceratosauridae all had big crests, and used them mostly for display. Members of the Tyrannosauridae family had a prominent horn in front of each eye on the lacrimal bone, as showed in Gorgosaurus, Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus, etc... The lacrimal bone is absent only in Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus , that had instead a crescent-shaped crest behind each eye on the post orbital bone.
Classification
Characteristics
Tyrannosauroids were mostly small-to medium-sized animals in their first 80 million years, becoming then, in their last 20 million years, became the biggest terrestrial predators that ever walked the Earth.
Early Tyrannosauroids were small animals, with longer and thinner skulls (in proportion), longer forelimbs, with three-fingered hands, and also thinner bodies. Last Tyrannosauroids instead, were huge animals (the biggest of them being the Tyrannosaurus rex , at 40-46 ft or 12-13.6 meters long and weighing between 9-11 tons). They had thicker and stronger skulls, with a deadlier bite-force, shorter forelimbs, with only two fingers, and were overall more robust ( with a few exceptions ).
Feathers and Crests
Most Tyrannosauroids had proto-feathers, as it was find a Dilong fossil in 2004 preserving feathers and also a 9 meter long animal called Yutyrannus huali, with the same characteristics. It is considered that they, being related to birds used the feathers for heat regulation and display. Early tyrannosauroids also also crests, especially the Proceratosauridae family, with Guanlong wucaii crest being the most prominent . The Proceratosauridae all had big crests, and used them mostly for display. Members of the Tyrannosauridae family had a prominent horn in front of each eye on the lacrimal bone, as showed in Gorgosaurus, Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus, etc... The lacrimal bone is absent only in Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus , that had instead a crescent-shaped crest behind each eye on the post orbital bone.
Classification
- Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis;
- Aviatyrannis jurassica;
- Bistahieversor sealeyi;
- Dilong paradoxus;
- Dryptosaurus aquilunguis;
- Calamosaurus foxi;
- Eotyrannus lengi;
- Juratyrant langhami;
- Labocamia anomala;
- Stokesosaurus clevelandi;
- Tanycolagreus topwilsoni
- Xiongguanlong baimoensis;
- Yutyrannus huali;
- Proceratosauridae:
- Guanlong wucaii;
- Kileskus aristotocus;
- Proceratosaurus bradleyi;
- Sinotyrannus kazuoensis;
- Tyrannosauridae:
- Albertosaurus sarcophagus;
- Gorgosaurus libratus;
- Alioramus remotus;
- Daspletosaurus torosus;
- Nanotyrannus lacensis
- Tarbosaurus bataar;
- Teratophoneus curriei;
- Zhuchengtyrannus magnus;
- Tyrannosaurus rex;
- Lythronax argestes .
- Proceratosauridae: