Museum Center dinosaur major part of new research

Cincinnati Museum Center is helping paleontologists reshape what we know about a prehistoric predator.

Newly published research challenges long-held assumptions about the evolution of Daspletosaurus, a 75-million-year-old Cretaceous tyrannosaur. A Daspletosaurus specimen housed at the Union Terminal museum played a central role in the discovery.

Daspletosaurus was a 30-foot-long, three-ton carnivore that stalked prehistoric North America on two powerful hind legs. Though smaller than its more famous cousin Tyrannosaurus rex, it earned the name “frightful lizard” and remains a rare fossil — with fewer than 10 on display in museums worldwide. One of them towers over visitors in CMC’s Dinosaur Hall, its skull silhouetted against the downtown skyline.

“Daspletosaurus is an impressive specimen and an absolute showstopper for anyone visiting Cincinnati Museum Center, even before they enter the building,” said Glenn Storrs, curator of vertebrate paleontology at CMC. “This new research proves these dinosaurs aren’t just cool to see in the gallery, they are vital to ongoing scientific research.”

About the research

Storrs joined the research team that published the peer-reviewed paper in “Acta Palaeontologica Polonica,” an international paleontology journal. The study analyzes skull bones from CMC’s Daspletosaurus and questions the classification of three distinct species within the genus.

“Detailed analysis of the age and anatomy of our specimen cast doubt on the validity of one of the three known species and provides new insight into their potential relationships,” Storrs said.

Researchers had previously believed Daspletosaurus included three recognized species: torosus, horneri and wilsoni, per CMC. But the museum noted that new analysis suggests Daspletosaurus wilsoni may not differ significantly from Daspletosaurus torosus. That would mean Daspletosaurus horneri evolved directly from torosus, creating a more linear family tree.

“Popular interest in Tyrannosaurus rex is at an all-time high and recent discoveries of new tyrannosaur species have sparked a resurgence of interest in the evolutionary history of tyrannosaurine dinosaurs,” Storrs said. “Daspletosaurus is a close cousin, if not direct ancestor, of T. rex, but is a much rarer fossil. That makes each new Daspletosaurus discovery significant.”

Paleontologists continue to study new fossil finds to better understand the evolution of Daspletosaurus and its relatives.

The paper, titled “Cranial anatomy and stratigraphy of a new specimen of the tyrannosaurine dinosaur Daspletosaurus from the Judith River Formation of Central Montana, USA,” was co-authored by Storrs, Ethan Warner-Cowgill, Raymond R. Rogers and Anthony E. Maltese.

Dinosaur Hall