Tarbosaurus

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Tarbosaurus Fossil range: Late Cretaceous
Tarbosaurus skeleton in University Geology and Palaentology Museum, Münster, Germany.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Family: Tyrannosauridae Subfamily: Tyrannosaurinae Tribe: Tyrannosaurini Genus: Tarbosaurus Species: T. bataar
Binomial name
Tarbosaurus bataar Maleev, 1955

Tarbosaurus, meaning 'Terror Lizard' (from the Greek tarbos/ταρβος meaning 'fright', 'alarm', 'terror' (interestingly it can also mean 'awe' or 'reverence'^[1]) and saurus/σαυρος meaning 'lizard'), was a member of the dinosaur family of tyrannosaurids, which flourished during the early Maastrichtian of the Late Cretaceous Period. It is closely related to the genus (and perhaps is indistinct from) Tyrannosaurus.

[edit] Discovery and species

Remains have been found in Mongolia, first being described by Evgeny Maleev (pronounced Ma-LAY-ev), in 1955, from fossils recovered in a Soviet Mongolian expedition in 1948. More recently, some teeth and parts of a large pelvis, from a possible tarbosaur, have been recovered from the late Cretaceous Subashi Formation in the Turpan Basin in China^[2]. Several tarbosaur teeth have also been recovered, from the Late Cretaceous Nanxiong Formation in Guandong Province in southern China.

Tarbosaurus species

• T. bataar (type)

Missassigned (Probable)

• T. efremovi (actually young T. bataar)

[edit] Size

As with most dinosaurs, Tarbosaurus size estimates have varied through recent years. It could have been 10 to 14 meters long, with a weight of 4 to 5 tons.

[edit] Classification

Tarbosaurus skull

Although many specimens of this genus have been found, little definite data was confirmed on the dinosaur as of 1986, though it was presumed to share many characteristics with other tyrannosaurids. The close similarities have prompted some scientists to suggest a possible link between the North American and Eurasian continents at that time, perhaps in the form of a land bridge. Tarbosaurus may have preyed upon large contemporary hadrosaurs, such as Saurolophus.

[edit] Issues with classification

Smaller specimens, retrieved on the same expedition, were described as Tarbosaurus efremovi. It is unclear if they were merely subadults of T. bataar or a different species. The latest consensus is that Maleevosaurus novojilovi, Gorgosaurus lancinator, and T. efremovi are regarded as young specimens of T. bataar for a review see Hurum and Sabath (2003) and Currie et al. (2003).

Opinion has been divided on this too, however, with George Olshevsky (1995) analysing Tarbosaurus efremovi as a species and genus distinct from T. bataar, leaving it requiring a new genus. Olshevsky coined the name Jenghizkhan bataar, named for Genghis Khan.

Others, such as Carpenter, place it in the Tyrannosaurus genus (the resulting designation would then be Tyrannosaurus bataar), as the skull seems to have many similarities with its North American cousin, Tyrannosaurus rex. Hurum and Sabath (2003), however, demonstrated that Tarbosaurus is a relative of Alioramus, and not a species of Tyrannosaurus. This was based on supporting evidence for the hypothesis that tyrannosaurids originated in Asia, and then migrated to North America^[3].

More remains from China, this time, Chingkankousaurus, named by Chung Chien Young in 1958; was then considered a nomen dubium by Dong (1992); and then synonymized subjectively with Tarbosaurus by Holtz, Jr.

[edit] Popular Culture

A mounted cast of a Tarbosaurus skeleton can be seen in the Melbourne Museum in Carlton, Victoria. A Tarbosaurus makes an appearance in the second episode of "The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs" (2005) and also appeared in the Walking with Dinosaurs Special The Giant Claw.

Even though it is described as "Dinosaur" or "Tyrannosaurus" type, the Deadborder Zoid is actually a Tarbosaurus.

[edit] Gallery

[edit] References