Nanotyrannus was described in 1988 by Robbert Bakker as a species of pygmy Tyrannosaur that lived alongside
T. rex in what is now Montana, but it's status as a valid species is currently disputed.
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| Nanotyrannus life reconstruction (image Conty/Wikipedia) |
The skull that formed the basis of Bakker's
Nanotyrannus has certainly had an interesting second life as a fossil. When first described in 1946 it was named as a new species of
Gorgosaurus, given the specific name
lancesis after the Lance Formation in Montana where it was found. Subsequently it was referred to the slightly later Tyrannosaur genus
Albertosaurus.
But it's moment glory would come in 1988 when it was given it's own genus by Robbert Bakker who named it Nanotyrannus because of it's small size compared to other Cretaceous Tyrannosaurs. The total length of N. lancensis was estimated to by about 5 meters in total length, less than half the size of a mature T. rex.
The status of Nanotyrannus did not go undisputed however, and the discovery of a second specimen in 2001 seemed to bring an end to the status of Nanotyrannus as separate species.
