Asiatyrannus

What it was like

Asiatyrannus was a small tyrannosaur with a short, deep snout. It was built like its giant relatives, with a big head, strong teeth and tiny arms, but it was much smaller.

Some scientists think the skeleton comes from a young animal, perhaps a young Tarbosaurus, rather than a separate genus, so its status is debated.

Its world

It lived about 72 to 66 million years ago, near the end of the Late Cretaceous, in what is now southern China. Its fossil comes from the Nanxiong Formation, which also produced the long-snouted tyrannosaur Qianzhousaurus.

How it was found

Zheng and colleagues named Asiatyrannus in 2024, from a single skull and partial skeleton.