Suskityrannus

Name: Suskityrannus ‭(‬coyote tyrant‭)‬.
Phonetic: Sus-ke-ty-ran-nus.
Named By: D.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Wolfe,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬McDonald,‭ ‬J.‭ ‬I.‭ ‬Kirkland,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Turner,‭ ‬N.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Smith,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬Brusatte,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Loewen,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Denton‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Nesbitt‭ ‬-‭ ‬2019.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Tyrannosauroidea,‭ ‬Pantyrannosauria.
Species: S.‭ ‬hazelae‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Holotype estimated to have been about‭ ‬3‭ ‬meters long,‭ ‬but this is of a juvenile.‭ ‬Adult size unknown.
Known locations: USA,‭ ‬New Mexico‭ ‬-‭ ‬Moreno Hill Formation.
Time period: Turonian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial remains of two individuals.




       Remains of Suskityrannus were first announced back in‭ ‬1998‭ ‬when the description of the ceratopsian dinosaur Zuniceratops was first published.‭ ‬Back then the fossil remains were thought to have been those‭ ‬of a dromaeosaur,‭ ‬but in‭ ‬2019,‭ ‬a more detailed analysis of these fossils were published.‭ ‬The name chosen for this dinosaur was Suskityrannus which means‭ ‘‬coyote tyrant‭’‬.‭ ‬The suki part is the‭ ‬Zuni word for coyote.‭ ‬The tyrant part is a reference to the fact that Suskityrannus was not a dromaeosaur,‭ ‬but a primitive tyrannosaur.
       Foot structure of Suskityrannus shows a development where the upper portion of the middle metatarsal is pinched,‭ ‬a development that allowed for fast running.‭ ‬This has plugged an evolutionary gap that confounded palaeontologists in‭ ‬their attempts to trace tyrannosaur evolution.‭ ‬Unfortunately,‭ ‬not much else is yet known about Suskityrannus.‭ ‬Full adult size is uncertain,‭ ‬because the only known specimens at the time of the‭ ‬2019‭ ‬description are of juveniles.‭ ‬Analysis of growth rings in the bones of one of these individuals suggest that it was about three years old at the time of death.‭ ‬Suskityrannus is noted for having a large brain relative to body size,‭ ‬but it is unknown if this is just down to differing body proportions for juveniles.

Further reading
-‭ ‬A mid-Cretaceous tyrannosauroid and the origin of North American end-Cretaceous dinosaur assemblages‭ ‬-.‭ ‬Nature Ecology‭ & ‬Evolution.‭ ‬3‭ (‬6‭)‬:‭ ‬892‭–‬899.‭ ‬-‭ ‬D.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Wolfe,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬McDonald,‭ ‬J.‭ ‬I.‭ ‬Kirkland,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Turner,‭ ‬N.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Smith,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬Brusatte,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Loewen,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Denton‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Nesbitt‭ ‬-‭ ‬2019.



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