Raptorex

What it was like

Raptorex was a small tyrannosaur known from a single young skeleton. It had the big head and short arms of its larger relatives in a much smaller body.

When it was named, it was thought to show that the tyrannosaur body plan came before large size. Later work suggested the fossil is much younger than first claimed and may be a young Tarbosaurus or a close relative.

Its world

Where and when it lived is uncertain. The fossil was bought from dealers, and it probably came from Mongolia or northern China. Its first description placed it early in the Cretaceous, while later studies favor the Late Cretaceous.

How it was found

Sereno and colleagues named Raptorex in 2009. The type species is Raptorex kriegsteini.