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Nanotyrannus lancensis

Osteichthyes - Nanotyrannidae

Taxonomy
Gorgosaurus lancensis was named by Gilmore (1946). Its type specimen is CMNH 7541, a skull, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Sand Creek, Carter County (CMNH 7541), which is in a Maastrichtian terrestrial horizon in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana.

It was recombined as Aublysodon lancensis by Charig (1967); it was recombined as Albertosaurus lancensis by Russell (1970), Kurzanov (1976), Molnar (1978), Molnar (1980), Gauthier (1986), Paul (1988), Carpenter (1992); it was synonymized subjectively with Tyrannosaurus rex by Carr (1999), Holtz (2001), Rauhut (2003), Carr and Williamson (2004), Woodward et al. (2020); it was recombined as Nanotyrannus lancensis by Bakker et al. (1988), Molnar et al. (1990), Molnar (1991), Currie (1992), Currie et al. (2003), Currie (2003), Holtz (2004), DePalma et al. (2015), Dalman et al. (2018), Zanno and Napoli (2025).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1946Gorgosaurus lancensis Gilmore p. 2
1967Aublysodon lancensis Charig p. 714
1970Albertosaurus lancensis Russell p. 20
1970Gorgosaurus lancensis Steel p. 41
1970Gorgosaurus lancensis Tabrum p. 6
1976Albertosaurus lancensis Kurzanov
1976Gorgosaurus lancensis Sloan p. 145
1978Albertosaurus lancensis Molnar p. 73
1980Albertosaurus lancensis Molnar pp. 102-103
1986Albertosaurus lancensis Gauthier p. 9
1988Nanotyrannus lancensis Bakker et al.
1988Albertosaurus lancensis Paul p. 336
1990Nanotyrannus lancensis Molnar et al. p. 190
1991Nanotyrannus lancensis Molnar p. 167
1992Albertosaurus lancensis Carpenter p. 258
1992Nanotyrannus lancensis Currie p. 246
2003Nanotyrannus lancensis Currie
2003Nanotyrannus lancensis Currie et al. p. 231
2004Nanotyrannus lancensis Holtz, Jr. p. 113
2006Nanotyrannus lencensis Malkani p. 8
2015Nanotyrannus lancensis DePalma et al. p. 12
2018Nanotyrannus lancensis Dalman et al. p. 136
2025Nanotyrannus lancensis Zanno and Napoli

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classOsteichthyes
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
Romeriida
RankNameAuthor
Diapsida()
Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
Crocopoda
ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
Eucrocopoda
Archosauria()
informalAvemetatarsalia
Ornithodira
Dinosauromorpha
Dinosauriformes
Dinosauria()
Theropoda()
Neotheropoda
AverostraPaul 2002
Tetanurae
Coelurosauria()
superfamilyTyrannosauroidea
EutyrannosauriaDelcourt and Grillo 2018
familyNanotyrannidae
genusNanotyrannus
specieslancensis()

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.

Nanotyrannus lancensis Gilmore 1946
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
K. Carpenter 1992(Cranial) Skull long and low; maxillary fenestra small and separated from antorbital fenestra by a wide bar of the maxillary; antorbital fenestra longer than tall; nasals do not form a wedge between the frontals as in A. libratus and A. sarcophagus; in dorsal view, muzzle well differentiated from cranium so that there was stereoscopic vision. )Postcranial) fourth trochanter more proximal than in A. libratus; proximal articular face of tibia almost triangular, rather than quadrangular as in most tyrannosaurids (except for Maleevosaurus); proximal expansion of fibula is symmetrical relative to long axis of the shaft.
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatiteo
Entire body: yesg
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: 2005-08-24 13:11:38
Modified: 2005-08-24 20:11:38
Source: g = genus, subo = suborder, o = order
References: Marsh 1875, Kiessling 2004, Benton 1983, Peczkis 1995

Age range: Maastrichtian or 72.20000 to 66.00000 Ma

Collections (4 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Maastrichtian72.2 - 66.0USA (South Dakota) Nanotyrannus lancensis (224484)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian72.2 - 66.0USA (Montana) Gorgosaurus lancensis (14674)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian72.2 - 66.0USA (Wyoming) Nanotyrannus lancensis (230284)
Maastrichtian72.2 - 66.0USA (Montana) Gorgosaurus lancensis (type locality: 54002)