Before T. rex, there was the “dragon prince”

Science DailyCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete October 24, 2025 at 04:01 PM

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An international team of paleontologists led by Jared Voris and Dr. Darla Zelenitsky from the University of Calgary has identified a new dinosaur species named Khankhuuluu, which translates to "prince of dragons." This medium-sized, fast-moving predator lived about 86 million years ago in what is now Mongolia and is considered the closest-known ancestor of giant Tyrannosaurs. The fossils were first studied by paleontologist Altangerel Perle in the 1970s but were recently re-examined and found to differ from a similar species, Alectrosaurus. Khankhuuluu weighed about 750 kilograms and had small horn-like structures on its head, indicating it was a mesopredator that relied on speed for hunting rather than the bone-crushing bite strength of later Tyrannosaurs like T. rex.

Key Topics & Entities

Gorgosaurus 40% Albertosaurus 40% Nature 50% Bayanshiree Formation 50% University of Calgary 60% Darla Zelenitsky 70% Jared Voris 80% Mongolia ×280% Tyrannosaurus rex ×390%

Keywords

khankhuuluu 100% tyrannosaur evolution 90% tyrannosaurus rex ancestor 80% dinosaur discovery 80% mongolia fossils 70% mesopredator hunting style 60% asia to north america migration 60% evolutionary ascent stage 50% bayanshiree formation 50% paleontologists 40%

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90%

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Mongolia

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khankhuuluu tyrannosaur evolution tyrannosaurus rex ancestor dinosaur discovery mongolia fossils mesopredator hunting style asia to north america migration evolutionary ascent stage bayanshiree formation paleontologists

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