PBDB Taxon

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Gorgosaurus libratus

Reptilia - Theropoda - Tyrannosauridae

Taxonomy

Gorgosaurus libratus was named by Lambe (1914). Its type specimen is CMN 2120, a skull (scapulacoracoid), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is RTMP Quarry 36, Berry Creek, which is in a Campanian channel lag sandstone in the Dinosaur Park Formation of Canada. It was considered monophyletic by Currie (2000).

It was recombined as Deinodon libratus by Tatarinov (1964); it was recombined as Albertosaurus libratus by Russell (1970), Kurzanov (1976), Lawson (1976), Molnar (1978), Baird and Horner (1979), Molnar (1980), Thulborn (1984), Gauthier (1986), Paul (1988), Schwimmer and Best (1989), Mader and Bradley (1989), Molnar et al. (1990), Lucas et al. (1990), Molnar (1991), Sanz et al. (1992), Carpenter (1992), Novas (1996), Ryan (1997), Carr (1999), Foster and Chure (2000), Turner et al. (2007), Carr (2010), Carr et al. (2011) and Carr et al. (2017).

Synonyms

Laelaps incrassatus was named by Cope (1876). Its type specimen is AMNH 3962, a skull, and it is a 3D body fossil.

It was recombined as Dryptosaurus incrassatus by Hay (1902), Lambe (1903), Lambe (1904), Lambe (1904), Lambe (1905), Lambe (1905), Stromer (1915), Stromer (1931), Stromer (1934) and Steel (1970); it was synonymized subjectively with Deinodon horridus by Matthew and Brown (1922); it was recombined as Deinodon incrassatus by Hay (1930) and Kuhn (1939); it was recombined as Albertosaurus incrassatus by Stromer (1934); it was synonymized subjectively with Albertosaurus sarcophagus by Russell (1970), Paul (1988), Carpenter (1992) and Eberth et al. (2001); it was synonymized subjectively with Albertosaurus libratus by Molnar et al. (1990); it was synonymized subjectively with Gorgosaurus libratus by Holtz (2004).
Laelaps falculus was named by Cope (1876). Its type specimen is AMNH 3959, a tooth, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Cow Island, which is in a Campanian/Campanian terrestrial horizon in the Judith River Formation of Montana.

It was recombined as Dryptosaurus falculus by Hay (1902) and Steel (1970); it was recombined as Deinodon falculus by Hay (1930) and Kuhn (1939); it was synonymized subjectively with Albertosaurus libratus by Molnar et al. (1990); it was synonymized subjectively with Gorgosaurus libratus by Holtz (2004).
Gorgosaurus sternbergi was named by Matthew and Brown (1922). Its type specimen is AMNH 5664 and is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is RTMP Quarry 6, Sand Creek [AMNH], which is in a Campanian channel sandstone in the Dinosaur Park Formation of Canada.

It was synonymized subjectively with Albertosaurus libratus by Russell (1970), Paul (1988) and Molnar et al. (1990); it was recombined as Albertosaurus sternbergi by Olshevsky (1981) and Mader and Bradley (1989); it was synonymized subjectively with Gorgosaurus libratus by Holtz (2004) and Currie (2005).
Laelaps hazenianus was named by Hay (1902). Its type specimen is AMNH 3957 and is a 3D body fossil.

It was recombined as Dryptosaurus hazenianus by Hay (1902) and Steel (1970); it was recombined as Deinodon hazenianus by Brown (1914), Hay (1930) and Kuhn (1939); it was synonymized subjectively with Deinodon horridus by Matthew and Brown (1922); it was synonymized subjectively with Albertosaurus libratus by Molnar et al. (1990); it was synonymized subjectively with Gorgosaurus libratus by Holtz (2004).
Dryptosaurus kenabekides was named by Hay (1899). Its type specimen is ANSP 9530, a set of teeth (teeth), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Judith River badlands (USGS), which is in a Campanian/Campanian terrestrial horizon in the Judith River Formation of Montana.

It was synonymized subjectively with Deinodon horridus by Matthew and Brown (1922); it was synonymized subjectively with Albertosaurus libratus by Molnar et al. (1990); it was synonymized subjectively with Gorgosaurus libratus by Holtz (2004).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1876	Laelaps falculus Cope
1876	Laelaps incrassatus Cope
1876	Laelaps falculus Cope p. 249
1876	Laelaps incrassatus Cope p. 341
1876	Laelaps hazenianus Cope p. 343
1876	Laelaps falculus Cope p. 344
1877	Laelaps falculus Cope p. 316
1877	Laelaps incrassatus Cope p. 316
1877	Laelaps falculus Cope p. 572
1877	Laelaps hazenianus Cope p. 572
1877	Laelaps incrassatus Cope p. 572
1892	Laelaps incrassatus Cope p. 240
1899	Dryptosaurus kenabekides Hay p. 348
1899	Laelaps incrassatus Lambe p. 69
1901	Laelaps falculus Nopcsa p. 199
1901	Laelaps incrassatus Nopcsa p. 199
1902	Laelaps hazenianus Hay p. 343
1902	Dryptosaurus falculus Hay p. 488
1902	Dryptosaurus hazenianus Hay p. 488
1902	Dryptosaurus incrassatus Hay p. 488
1902	Dryptosaurus kenabekides Hay p. 488
1902	Laelaps incrassatus Lambe p. 27
1903	Dryptosaurus incrassatus Lambe p. 133
1904	Dryptosaurus incrassatus Lambe p. 5
1905	Dryptosaurus incrassatus Lambe p. 26
1914	Deinodon hazenianus Brown p. 378
1914	Gorgosaurus libratus Lambe p. 5
1915	Gorgosaurus libratus Lambe p. 117
1915	Dryptosaurus incrassatus Stromer p. 4
1916	Gorgosaurus libratus Lambe p. 195
1917	Gorgosaurus libratus Lambe pp. 1-4
1917	Gorgosaurus libratus Sternberg p. 207
1918	Gorgosaurus libratus Sternberg p. 89
1922	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Matthew and Brown
1922	Gorgosaurus libratus Matthew and Brown p. 377
1922	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Matthew and Brown p. 378
1924	Gorgosaurus libratus Abel p. 710
1924	Gorgosaurus libratus Parks p. 383
1926	Gorgosaurus libratus Huene p. 101
1927	Gorgosaurus libratus Huene p. 260
1927	Gorgosaurus sternbergii Huene p. 260
1930	Deinodon falculus Hay p. 177
1930	Deinodon hazenianus Hay p. 177
1930	Deinodon incrassatus Hay p. 177
1930	Gorgosaurus libratus Hay p. 178
1930	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Hay p. 178
1930	Gorgosaurus libratus Russell p. 148
1930	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Russell p. 148
1931	Dryptosaurus incrassatus Stromer p. 9
1931	Gorgosaurus libratus Stromer p. 9
1933	Gorgosaurus libratus Gilmore p. 36
1933	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Gilmore p. 37
1934	Gorgosaurus libratus Stromer p. 16
1934	Dryptosaurus incrassatus Stromer p. 55
1934	Albertosaurus incrassatus Stromer p. 79
1934	Gorgosaurus libratus Stromer p. 79
1935	Gorgosaurus libratus Russell p. 378
1936	Gorgosaurus libratus Stromer p. 83
1939	Deinodon falculus Kuhn p. 79
1939	Deinodon hazenianus Kuhn p. 79
1939	Deinodon incrassatus Kuhn p. 80
1939	Gorgosaurus libratus Kuhn p. 82
1939	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Kuhn p. 82
1940	Gorgosaurus libratus Wilfarth p. 8
1946	Gorgosaurus libratus Gilmore pp. 16-17
1946	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Gilmore p. 17
1955	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Maleev
1956	Gorgosaurus libratus Zangerl p. 8
1956	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Zangerl p. 8
1962	Gorgosaurus libratus Lapparent p. 20
1963	Gorgosaurus libratus Anonymous p. 357
1964	Gorgosaurus libratus Russell p. 12
1964	Gorgosaurus sternbergii Russell p. 12
1964	Deinodon libratus Tatarinov p. 540 fig. 578
1964	Gorgosaurus libratus Walker p. 111
1964	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Walker p. 111
1965	Gorgosaurus libratus Rozhdestvensky
1966	Gorgosaurus libratus Russell p. 15
1966	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Russell p. 20
1970	Albertosaurus libratus Russell pp. 5-6
1970	Dryptosaurus falculus Steel p. 31
1970	Dryptosaurus hazenianus Steel p. 31
1970	Dryptosaurus incrassatus Steel p. 31
1970	Dryptosaurus kenabekides Steel p. 31
1970	Gorgosaurus libratus Steel p. 41
1970	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Steel p. 41
1973	Gorgosaurus libratus Powell p. 118
1974	Gorgosaurus libratus Molnar p. 1011
1976	Albertosaurus libratus Kurzanov
1976	Albertosaurus libratus Lawson p. 161
1978	Albertosaurus libratus Molnar p. 76
1979	Albertosaurus libratus Baird and Horner p. 9
1980	Gorgosaurus libratus Drake p. 195
1980	Albertosaurus libratus Molnar p. 103
1981	Albertosaurus sternbergi Olshevsky p. 41
1984	Albertosaurus libratus Thulborn p. 137
1986	Albertosaurus libratus Gauthier p. 9
1987	Gorgosaurus libratus Currie p. 52
1987	Gorgosaurus sternbergi Currie p. 55
1988	Albertosaurus libratus Paul p. 329
1989	Albertosaurus libratus Mader and Bradley p. 48
1989	Albertosaurus sternbergi Mader and Bradley p. 48
1989	Albertosaurus libratus Schwimmer and Best p. 153
1990	Albertosaurus libratus Lucas et al. p. 346
1990	Albertosaurus libratus Molnar et al. p. 189
1991	Albertosaurus libratus Molnar p. 166
1992	Albertosaurus libratus Carpenter p. 258
1992	Gorgosaurus libratus Currie p. 246
1992	Albertosaurus libratus Sanz et al. p. 50
1995	Gorgosaurus libratus Carr p. 21A
1996	Albertosaurus libratus Novas p. 676
1997	Gorgosaurus libratus Carpenter p. 768
1997	Albertosaurus libratus Ryan p. 257
1999	Albertosaurus libratus Carr pp. 498-499
1999	Gorgosaurus libratus Norell and Makovicky p. 26
2000	Gorgosaurus libratus Currie p. 448
2000	Albertosaurus libratus Foster and Chure p. 8
2001	Gorgosaurus libratus Eberth et al. p. 58
2001	Gorgosaurus libratus Holtz, Jr. pp. 69-70 fig. 7.2
2003	Gorgosaurus libratus Currie p. 654
2003	Gorgosaurus libratus Currie et al. p. 231
2003	Gorgosaurus libratus Rauhut p. 43
2004	Gorgosaurus libratus Holtz, Jr. p. 112
2005	Gorgosaurus libratus Currie p. 5
2005	Gorgosaurus libratus Sullivan et al. p. 399
2006	Alberytosaurus libratus Malkani p. 8
2006	Gorgosaurus libratus Urban and Lamanna p. 234
2007	Albertosaurus libratus Turner et al. p. 26
2008	Gorgosaurus libratus Longrich p. 994
2010	Albertosaurus libratus Carr p. 1218
2010	Gorgosaurus libratus Torres-Rodríguez et al. p. 79
2011	Albertosaurus libratus Carr et al.
2011	Gorgosaurus libratus Hone et al. p. 502
2011	Gorgosaurus libratus Jasinski p. 198
2011	Gorgosaurus libratus Zanno and Makovicky p. 320
2012	Gorgosaurus libratus Paulina Carabajal and Currie p. 88
2013	Gorgosaurus libratus Dalman p. 242
2013	Gorgosaurus libratus Thomson et al. p. 71
2014	Gorgosaurus libratus McCrea et al. p. 3
2015	Gorgosaurus libratus Currie and Koppelhus p. 626
2017	Albertosaurus libratus Carr et al. p. 9s
2018	Gorgosaurus libratus Buckley et al. p. 1234
2018	Gorgosaurus libratus Dalman et al. p. 125
2018	Gorgosaurus libratus McDonald et al. p. 2
2020	Gorgosaurus libratus Sakagami and Kawabe p. 12
2022	Gorgosaurus libratus Krumenacker et al. p. 1341

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
subclass	Eureptilia	()
—	Romeriida

Rank	Name	Author
—	Diapsida	()
—	Archosauromorpha	(Huene 1946)
—	Crocopoda
—	Archosauriformes	Gauthier 1986
—	Eucrocopoda
—	Archosauria	()
informal	Avemetatarsalia
—	Ornithodira
—	Dinosauromorpha
—	Dinosauriformes
—	Dinosauria	()
order	Theropoda
—	Neotheropoda
—	Averostra	Paul 2002
—	Tetanurae
—	Coelurosauria	()
superfamily	Tyrannosauroidea
family	Tyrannosauridae
genus	Gorgosaurus
species	libratus

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

†Gorgosaurus libratus Lambe 1914

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Invalid names: Dryptosaurus kenabekides Hay 1899 [synonym], Gorgosaurus sternbergi Matthew and Brown 1922 [synonym], Laelaps falculus Cope 1876 [synonym], Laelaps hazenianus Hay 1902 [synonym], Laelaps incrassatus Cope 1876 [synonym]

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
K. Carpenter 1992	(Cranial) Pro-maxillary fenestra close to the maxillary fenestra; maxillary fenestra oval in shape and separated from the antorbital fenestra by a wide bar of maxillary; lacrymal horn very well developed; surangular very large. (Postcranial) distal end of scapula gradually broadens; acromion process of the scapula very deep; tibia more robust than in A. sarcophagus.

Measurements

part	N	mean	minimum	maximum	median	s.d.
femur circumference	4	249.5	188.0	298.0	264.0	50.2
fibula circumference	4	89.0	63.0	105.0	97.5	19.1
tibia circumference	5	237.3	191.0	268.0	251.0	32.4

Composition:

hydroxyapatiteo

Entire body:

yeso

Adult length:

10 to < 100o

Adult width:

1.0 to < 10o

Adult height:

1.0 to < 10o

Architecture:

compact or denseo

Ontogeny:

accretion, modification of partso

Grouping:

solitaryo

Environment:

terrestrialo

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

ground dwellingo

Diet:

carnivoresubo

Reproduction:

oviparouso

Dispersal:

direct/internalo

Dispersal 2:

mobileo

Created:

2009-01-03 20:39:15

Modified:

2009-01-03 22:39:15

Source: subo = suborder, o = order

References: Benton 1983, Marsh 1875

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Campanian to the top of the Campanian or 83.50000 to 72.10000 Ma

Collections (14 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Campanian	83.6 - 72.1	Canada (Alberta)	Albertosaurus libratus (52481 52484)
Late/Upper Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	Canada (Alberta)	Albertosaurus libratus (22659) Deinodon sp. (type locality: 11897) Gorgosaurus libratus (11890 47629) Gorgosaurus sp. (11893 11895 11896 58913 58944 59024)
Middle Campanian - Late/Upper Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	USA (Montana)	Dryptosaurus kenabekides (69213) Laelaps falculus (58156)