Tiny T. rex fossil discovery startles scientists

[onehandle]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- A pint-sized version of the Tyrannosaurus rex, with similarly powerful legs, razor-sharp teeth and tiny arms, roamed China some 125 million years ago, said scientists who remain startled by the discovery. The predator, nicknamed Raptorex, lived about 60 million years before the T. rex and was slightly larger than the human male, scientists said.

The findings, to be released Friday in the journal Science, are based on fossilized remains discovered in lake beds in northeastern China. They show a dinosaur with many of the specialized physical features of Tyrannosaurus rex at a fraction of its size.

"The most interesting and important thing about this new fossil is that It is completely unexpected," said Stephen Brusatte, co-author of the article, in a conference call with reporters.

"It's becoming harder and harder to find fossils like this that totally throw us for a curve," added Brusatte, a paleontologist with the American Museum of Natural History.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/09/17/tiny.t-rex.dinosaur.discovered/index.html

[marmar]

1. FUNDIES HAVE THEIR PROOF THAN DINOSAURS AND MAN LIVED TOGETHER !!!!

Noah had a pet T-Rex.

[dhpgetsit]

8. Noah's rooster was getting frisky with a small gator.

[DRoseDARs]

12. I guess someone DID keep fucking that chicken...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdnXYWSa56w

[dhpgetsit]

35. Did you see the look on her face??

Priceless!

[roguevalley]

18. Alley Oop. If you remember that, yer old. :)

[KansDem]

37. So did Jesus...

[xchrom]

2. GRRRR -- er -- grrrr. nt

[imdjh]

3. Why are these animals always portrayed as being in such a foul mood?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

4. Powerful legs, razor-sharp teeth, tiny arms and jammed for hours.

"What the hell do you mean 'NOT THAT T-REX'?"

[Trajan]

20. I saw "T-Rex" ....

AKA Marc Bolan ....

I suppose that shows how old I am ....

He rocked hard .... A kinda spacy drone with catchy hooks ....

I am afraid to ask what happened to him ...

[muriel_volestrangler]

25. Killed in a car accident in 1977 (nt)

[dipsydoodle]

33. Oak tree on Putney Common I think

The in song at the time became Tie A Purple Mini Round the Old Oak Tree.

edit : changed colour to correct one ...lol.

[Skink]

5. A kinder gentler T-Rex.

:headbang:

[Lint Head]

6. And they found itty bitty fossilized people carrying signs that say

"Get a Bran Moran!"

[Skink]

10. Bran probably would have helped with the demeaner.

[damntexdem]

7. They would have been even more startled by finding a full-size T Rex ...

alive. ;-)

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

9. Aw, wookit de cute widdle death machine...

[XemaSab]

11. Pint-sized?

It'll still bit your head off. :scared:

[Rozlee]

13. Oh, for crying out loud, that's not a Raptorex !

That's Ann Coulter when she's PMSing!

[proteus_lives]

14. Interesting.

I like the name.

Look for it's appearance in future bad(good) sci-fi flicks.

[Buns_of_Fire]

30. I can see it now: "Raptor X -- The Nightmare Begins"

Starring Carrot Top as the friendly caveman who befriends the undersized thunder lizard (who never got to play in any Tyrannosaurus games). A heartwarming tale of a boy and his dinosaur, with Carrot Top as you've never seen him, offering love, advice, and lots of Wheaties, he nurtures "Raptor X" to grow up and become King of the Tyrannosaurs.

Who then promptly eats him. Much hilarity ensues.

[semillama]

34. Coming soon to SyFy!!! n/t

[tocqueville]

15. they are still living among us...

pea-sized brain, razor sharp teeth : glennoraptor beckii, limbaughsaurus rex...

[burrowowl]

16. Sounds like a rooster

they are pretty vicious!

[caseymoz]

28. Roosterex? Funny thing is, DNA analysis of T-Rex bones

Showed that the current animal that's most related to it is the chicken.

[ceveritt]

17. tiny t-rex

They say it's a fraction of the size of a conventional Tyrannosaurus Rex. Not exactly. In weight, sure, but the bloody thing was still 9 FEET TALL.

One could come in handy, though, if it could be bred to have a taste for Republicans. ...

[Cobalt-60]

19. We can't feed Little Rex toxic carrion!

We'll let rats eat the pukes.
Then whip the rats into a giant Shepherd's Pie!

[trusty elf]

21. The article says the dino was 9 feet tall and weighed about 143 pounds.

I find that hard to believe. Seems to me that would be one skinny T Rex!

It must not have been a very good hunter... :D

[Enthusiast]

22. I assume you're kidding.

The time frame places this dinosaur as an ancestor of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Naturally it would not be identical.

[trusty elf]

23. Yeah, sure

I'm kidding about its not being a good hunter, but I don't get how it could be 9 feet tall and weigh only a little over 140 pounds.

It seems to me that something that big would have to weigh a lot more than that.

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. About the height and weight of an ostrich

"Ostriches usually weigh from 63 to 130 kilograms (140–290 lb)
...
The long neck and legs keeps their head at 1.8 to 2.75 metres above the ground"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrich

[Javaman]

32. Hey hey!!

Let's not bring republicans into this...

:rofl:

[caseymoz]

29. I think there's a typo there. nt

[scrinmaster]

36. Probably 9 feet long, including it's tail.

[ScottLand]

24. He was OK until he grew in size and

started voting Republican!

[dipsydoodle]

27. I thought

it was the offcuts from Synagogues that grew into Republicans. :shrug:

[ScottLand]

31. I'll have to go back and study that some more!

I read sharp teeth and predator and couldn't help but think of Ann Coulter.