Farmer Discovers New Species of Tyrannosaur in Alberta, Canada

Dinosaurs may have been extinguished millions of years ago, however their story gets clearer when we discover their remnants.

A brand new species of tyrannosaurus—Thanatotheristes degrootorum—has been discovered by a farmer and paleontology enthusiast who was hiking in Alberta, Canada. It is believed that this may be one of the earliest species of the same ever found in North America. Researchers say that the species can be 2.5 million years older than its closest relative, approximately 79.5 million years old.

Researchers from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, as well as the University of Calgary published the findings of skull fragments of the species in a study. According to news reports, the discoverer John De Groot said that the jawbone is a stunning find as you can still view the teeth of the creature clearly. The species is estimated to have been between 26.2 to 30 feet in length, and a fully grown predatory theropod dinosaur could have weighed about two tons.

“Alberta has a rich dinosaur history, and we have uncovered some of the biggest finds on Earth here in the province," said Dr. François Therrien, the curator of the Royal Tyrrell Museum’s Dinosaur Palaeoecology in a statement. "The discovery of Thanatotheristes degrootorum is historic as it marks the first new species of tyrannosaur to be unearthed in Canada in 50 years. The last tyrannosaur described from Canada was Daspletosaurus in 1970."