Zhuchengtyrannus

Name: Zhuchengtyrannus (Zhucheng tyrant).
Phonetic: Zoo-cheng-tih-ran-us.
Named By: David W. E. Hone, Kebai Wang, Corwin Sullivan, Xijin Zhao, Shuqing Chen, Dunjin Li Shuan Ji, Qiang Ji & Xu Xing - 2011.
Synonyms: Tyrannosaurus zhuchengensis.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda, Tyrannosauridae, Tyrannosaurinae.
Species: Z. magnus (type).
Type: Carnivore.
Size: Uncertain due to incomplete fossil material, but comparison with other tyrannosaurid material has resulted in estimations of approximately 11 metres long.
Known locations: China, Shandong Province - Wangshi Group.
Time period: Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Maxilla, partial front dentary and teeth.

       Although only known from incomplete skull and lower jaw material, Zhuchengtyrannus was still almost certainly one of the largest of the Asian tyrannosaurines. Also, even though the teeth of the holotype are not particularly well preserved, there are more as yet unidentified teeth that are known from that location that may yet prove to belong to Zhuchengtyrannus. These teeth have serrations that run all the way down to the base of the tooth crown, and if these teeth can be confirmed as belonging to this dinosaur, then Zhuchengtyrannus would have some of the most distinctive teeth amongst all the tyrannosaurs.

Further reading
- A new, large tyrannosaurine theropod from the Upper Cretaceous of China. - Cretaceous Research 32:495-503. - D. W. E. Hone, K. Wang, C. Sullivan, X. Zhao, S. Chen, D. Li, S. Ji, Q. Ji & X. Xu. - 2011.

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