Merve Berker
June 12, 2025•Update: June 12, 2025
ANKARA
Scientists have identified a new dinosaur species, Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, which they say rewrites the evolutionary history of tyrannosaurs, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
The discovery was made from two partial skeletons found in Mongolia in the 1970s and later housed in a museum collection, the BBC said, citing a scientific article published in Nature.
Initially believed to belong to Alectrosaurus, an existing species, the remains were reclassified following detailed analysis by researchers at the University of Calgary.
Dating back 86 million years, Khankhuuluu – meaning “Dragon Prince of Mongolia” – is now considered the closest known ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex.
“This discovery shows us that, before tyrannosaurs became the kings, they were princes,” said paleontologist Darla Zelenitsky.
The species, weighing around 1,650 pounds (750 kilograms), displays a combination of features bridging small, fleet-footed early predators and the later colossal apex hunters.
“We see features in its nasal bone that eventually gave tyrannosaurs those very powerful bite forces,” said PhD student Jared Voris, who co-led the research.
According to the study, land bridges between Siberia and Alaska allowed dinosaur groups to move between Asia and North America, accelerating evolutionary shifts.
“This is a transitional fossil,” said Zelenitsky. “It has helped us revise the tyrannosaur family tree and rewrite what we know about their evolution.”
The researchers say Khankhuuluu reveals the early development of traits that later enabled T-rex to dominate its ecosystem and bite through bone.
