I Know Dino Podcast: Nanuqsaurus

Episode 11 is all about Nanuqsaurus, a small tyrannosaur that lived within the historic Arctic.

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On this episode, we talk about:

The dinosaur of the day: Nanuqsaurus hoglundhi, a tiny cousin of T-rex that lived within the Arctic 70 million years in the past
Nanuqsaurus bought its identify from the Inupiat phrase for polar bear, in addition to from Forrest Hoglund, the donor to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, the place the 2 males who found Nanuqsaurus work (Tony Fiorillo and Ron Tykoski)

Nanuqsaurus lived in Northern Alaska, then a part of the subcontinent Larimidia, which had climate like modern-day Seattle
However relying on the seasons, the Arctic may nonetheless have lengthy days or quick days with lengthy nights (winter had 24 midnights)
The Arctic the place Nanuqsaurus lived was a coastal plain, with tall conifer forests and flowering crops

Fiorillo and Tykoski truly found Nanuqsaurus in 2006 (cranium and jaw fossil fragments) within the Kikak-Tegoseak quarry, on the North Slope near the Yukon border
However they initially ignored the invention due to a second discovery, of the horned dinosaur Pachyrhinosaurus
However they discovered tooth marks in Pachyrhinosaurus

The excavation space was 13 x 13 toes, about 400 miles northwest of Fairbanks
The crew was funded by the Nationwide Science Basis Workplace of Polar Applications
Close by Alberta is well-known for its dinosaur bone beds, however the Arctic is generally unchartered territory.

Nanuqsaurus exhibits how tyrannosaurines tailored to life within the Arctic
Nanuqsaurus is a cousin of T-rex and Tarbosaurus, however lived 1-2 million years earlier than T-rex
Apart from its small measurement, Nanuqsaurus appeared rather a lot like T-rex, but it surely solely weighed 1,000 kilos

Nanusqaurus most likely was small so it may survive winters, when prey migrated or hibernated and have become scarce
Curiously, animals typically develop greater on the Poles (reminiscent of polar bears, that are the most important bears), as a result of greater animals lose warmth extra slowly
Nanuqsaurus was the dominant carnivore in its habitat, however not less than 4 different carnivores and 4 different herbivores lived there on the identical time

Nanuqsaurus was 20 toes lengthy, had a 2-foot lengthy cranium, was 6 toes excessive on the hip, and had killer-whale like tooth and twiggy arms
It additionally had a protracted nasal cavity and nice sense of scent, which might have been helpful at midnight. Due to its heightened sense of small, it was most likely an energetic hunter, not a scavenger
Nanuqsaurus‘ higher jawbone (maxilla) had distinctive sockets discovered solely in adults of some superior tyrannosaurs

Nanuqsaurus most likely had lots of fuzz, like different tyrannosaurs (most likely warm-blooded)
Nanuqsaurus is a part of the subfamily Tyrannosaurinae
Tyrannosaurinae is one among two subfamilies of Tyrannosauridae

The opposite subfamily is Abertosaurinae, which incorporates Albertosaurus and Gorgosaurus
Albertosaurines are typically extra slender, with decrease skulls
Tyrannosaurinae consists of Tyrannosaurus and Tarbosaurus

Some scientists have made extra subdivisions inside the subfamilies, which there’s not sufficient info to make it official
Enjoyable reality: Dinosaurs had been truly fairly good (the neatest dinosaur was smarter than mammals that lived on the identical time)