North Carolina Paleontologists Identify Dinosaur Species
Paleontologists at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences have confirmed the discovery of a distinct dinosaur species, settling a decades-long scientific debate.
Announced Thursday, Oct. 30, researchers said the findings prove a small-bodied tyrannosaur found alongside a Triceratops in Montana’s “Dueling Dinosaurs” fossil is not a young T. rex, but a fully grown Nanotyrannus lancensis, per WBTV.
Scientists at the museum’s SECU DinoLab analyzed bone growth rings, spinal fusion, and anatomy from the 67-million-year-old specimens, determining the Nanotyrannus was about 20 years old when it died. The discovery challenges long-held assumptions about tyrannosaur evolution.
