Tyrannosauridae
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| Tyrannosaurids Conservation status: Fossil | ||||||||||||
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 T. Rex skull, picture taken at Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago | ||||||||||||
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Dilong |
Tyrannosaurids, tyrant lizards or members of the Tyrannosauridae are a dinosaur family whose name is derived from the Greek words tyrannos, meaning tyrant; and sauros, meaning lizard. This is because they are believed to be vicious killers.
Tyrannosaurids were originally classified as carnosaurs, along most of the rest of the large theropods. But contrary to previous classifictions, recent phylogenetic studies have determined that tyrannosaurids are coelurosaurs, a group which also includes the ornithomimids and the maniraptorans. Thus, they are more closely related to dromaeosaurids (including birds), than they are to other large predatory dinosaur groups like the allosaurs.
All members of this family are strictly carnivorous. According to some paleontologists they were slow runners due to their size, and likely scavenged some of their food, but other paeontologists contend that they were agile predators.
Tyrannosaurs are characterized by broad, massive skulls, short, powerful necks, and reduced arms with only two digits.
- Weight: 2 to 7 US tons (1.8 to 6.4 tonnes)
- Length: 26 to 46 feet (8 to 14 metres)
- Location: Alberta in Canada, Mongolia, and Montana in the United States (area dependent on species)
- Period: Late Cretaceousde:Tyrannosauridae