Khankhuuluu Mongoliensis

Khankhuuluu Mongoliensis Latest News

Scientists have confirmed that Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, dubbed the “Dragon Prince”, lived around 86 million years ago—approximately 20 million years before T. rex.

About Khankhuuluu Mongoliensis

• Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, whose name translates to “Dragon Prince of Mongolia,” roamed the Earth approximately 86 million years ago during the Cretaceous period.
• The fossils of this new species were actually found in the 1970s in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert but were only recently recognized as belonging to a distinct species after advanced analysis and reexamination.
  • This medium-sized, fleet-footed predator weighed about 750 kilograms (roughly the size of a horse) and measured up to 4 meters in length, making it two to three times smaller than its massive descendants like Tyrannosaurus rex.
• The species is characterised by a long, shallow skull, tiny rudimentary horns, and a lighter, more agile build compared to later tyrannosaurs.
  • Unlike the bone-crushing T. rex, Khankhuuluu was a mesopredator, relying on speed and agility to hunt smaller prey.
• Significance of Discovery
  • This prehistoric predator is now considered the closest-known ancestor to the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex and played a pivotal role in setting tyrannosaurs on the evolutionary path to ruling Earth as apex predators.
  • Khankhuuluu marks a crucial evolutionary transition from smaller, agile hunters to the colossal apex predators that dominated the late Cretaceous.
  • Its discovery has bridged a significant gap in the fossil record, revealing that tyrannosaurs originated in Asia and migrated to North America, where they evolved into the iconic T. rex.

Source: LS