In Depth
Ulughbegsaurus is a genus of carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in Central Asia during the early stages of the Late Cretaceous, specifically the Turonian period. The carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaurs were apex predators that rose to prominence during the early Cretaceous, however there is plenty of fossil evidence to show that as a group they continued to be key predators well into the early stages of the late cretaceous, especially in South America, but also now it seems central Asia as well.
Ulughbegsaurus was named from a partial maxilla, the tooth bearing bone of the upper jaw. Like other carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs, Ulughbegsaurus would have had blade like teeth specifically adapted for slicing flesh as opposed to crunching through bone. There are several other kinds of dinosaurs known from the same fossil formation as Ulughbegsaurus, though sauropod and large ornithopod/hadrosauroid dinosaurs may have been the easiest prey.
Ulughbegsaurus is named after Mīrzā Muhammad Tāraghay bin Shāhrukh who is more popularly known around the world as Ulugh Beg, who was once a Sultan of the Timurid Empire, noted for his work in mathematics and astronomy. The type species name of Ulughbegsaurus, ‘uzbekistanensis’, simply means ‘from Uzbekistan’. Further reading
- A new carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur occupies apex predator niche in the early Late Cretaceous of Uzbekistan. - Royal Society Open Science. 8 (9): Article ID 210923 - Kohei Tanaka, Otabek Ulugbek Ogli Anvarov, Darla K. Zelenitsky, Akhmadjon Shayakubovich Ahmedshaev, & Yoshitsugu Kobayashi - 2021.
