Species
Valid Extinct

Tyrannosaurus rex

tyrant lizard king
Osborn 1905

No Wikipedia summary available.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
70
Group
Dinosaures
Carnivore Ground dwelling, solitary Terrestrial
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
Theropoda Unranked clade
Neotheropoda Unranked clade
Averostra Unranked clade
Tetanurae Unranked clade
Coelurosauria Unranked clade
Tyrannosauroidea Superfamily
Tyrannosauridae Family
Tyrannosaurinae Subfamily
Tyrannosaurini Tribe
Tyrannosaurus Genus
Tyrannosaurus rex Species
Fossil sites 70 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
64
🇨🇦 Canada
5
🇲🇽 Mexico
1
Geological formations
Lance
10
Denver
5
Ferris
4
Scollard
2
Lomas Coloradas
1
Laramie
1
Willow Creek
1
Temporal distribution
Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)
68
Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)
2
Synonyms (6)
Albertosaurus megagracilis subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex
Aublysodon molnaris subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex
Dynamosaurus imperiosus subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex
Manospondylus gigas subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex
Tyrannosaurus imperator subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex
Tyrannosaurus regina subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex
Bibliography
Original description
H. F. Osborn. 1905. Tyrannosaurus and other Cretaceous carnivorous dinosaurs. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 21(14):259-265
Bibliography (29)
E. M. Roberts, M. S. Hendrix, and J. Ramezani, W. C. Clyde, P. Zippi, S. Hodgson, V. Yuleridge, L. E. Zanno. 2026. High precision CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon age for the “Dueling Dinosaurs” locality, with implications for regional correlation, basal age and duration of the Hell Creek Formation, Montana. PLOS One 21(5):e0328861:1-27 DOI ↗
H. N. Thomas, D. W. E. Hone, and T. Gomes, J. E. Peterson. 2025. Infernodrakon hastacollis gen. et sp. nov., a new azhdarchid pterosaur from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, and the pterosaur diversity of Maastrichtian North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (e2442476) DOI ↗
G. S. Paul, W. S. Persons, and J. Van Raalte. 2022. The tyrant lizard king, queen and emperor: multiple lines of morphological and stratigraphic evidence support subtle evolution and probable speciation within the North American genus Tyrannosaurus. Evolutionary Biology 49(2):156-179 DOI ↗
W. W. Stein. 2021. The paleontology, geology and taphonomy of the Tooth Draw Deposit; Hell Creek Formation (Maastrictian), Butte County, South Dakota. The Journal of Paleontological Sciences JPS.C.21:0001:1-108
Á. A. Ramírez-Velasco and R. Hernández-Rivera. 2015. Diversity of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs from Mexico. Boletín Geológico y Minero 126(1):63-108
T. S. Kelly. 2014. Preliminary report on the mammals form Lane's Little Jaw Site Quarry: a latest Cretaceous (earliest Puercan?) local fauna, Hell Creek Formation, southeastern Montana. Paludicola 10(1):50-91
S. G. Dalman. 2013. New examples of Tyrannosaurus rex from the Lance Formation of Wyoming, United States. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 54(2):241-254 DOI ↗
M. T. Carrano. 2010. Fossil Vertebrate Collections, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
T. T. Tokaryk and H. N. Bryant. 2004. The fauna from the Tyrannosaurus rex excavation, Frenchman Formation (Late Maastrichtian), Saskatchewan. Summary of Investigations 2004, Volume 1. Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Saskatchewan Industry Resources, Miscellaneous Report 2004-4 1:1-12
R. Larson, R. Nellermoe, and R. Gould. 2003. A study of theropod teeth from a low-species-density hadrosaur bone bed in the lower Hell Creek Formation in Corson Co., S.D. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 23(3, suppl.):70A-71A
K. Carpenter and D. B. Young. 2002. Late Cretaceous dinosaurs from the Denver Basin, Colorado. Rocky Mountain Geology 37(2):237-254 DOI ↗
P. A. Holroyd and J. H. Hutchison. 2002. Patterns of geographic variation in latest Cretaceous vertebrates: evidence from the turtle component. Geological Society of America Special Paper 361:177-190 DOI ↗
D. A. Pearson, T. Schaefer, and K. R. Johnson, D. J. Nichols, J. P. Hunter. 2002. Vertebrate biostratigraphy of the Hell Creek Formation in southwestern North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota. The Hell Creek Formation and the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary in the Northern Great Plains: An Integrated Continental Record of the End of the Cretaceous, Geological Society of America Special Paper 361:145-167 DOI ↗
D. A. Eberth, P. J. Currie, and D. B. Brinkman, M. J. Ryan, D. R. Braman, J. D. Gardner, V. D. Lam, D. N. Spivak, A. G. Neuman. 2001. Alberta's dinosaurs and other fossil vertebrates: Judith River and Edmonton groups (Campanian-Maastrichtian). In C. L. Hill (ed), Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, 61st Annual Meeting, Bozeman. Guidebook for the Field Trips: Mesozoic and Cenozoic Paleontology in the Western Plains and Rocky Mountains, Museum of the Rockies Occasional Paper 3:49-75
J. A. Lillegraven and J. J. Eberle. 1999. Vertebrate faunal changes through Lancian and Puercan time in southern Wyoming. Journal of Paleontology 73(4):691-710 DOI ↗
K. Derstler. 1995. The Dragons' Grave: an Edmontosaurus bonebed containing theropod egg shells and juveniles, Lance Formation (uppermost Cretaceous), Niobrara County, Wyoming. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15(3, suppl.):26A
J. R. Horner and D. Lessem. 1993. The Complete T. rex DOI ↗
D. A. Ein. 1992. A dinosaur by any other name. Lapidary Journal 46(8):24-28
G. S. Paul. 1988. Predatory Dinosaurs of the World. Simon & Schuster, New York
J. M. Wood, R.G. Thomas, and J. Visser. 1988. Fluvial processes and vertebrate taphonomy: the Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation, south-central Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 66:127-143 DOI ↗
J. S. McIntosh. 1981. Annotated catalogue of the dinosaurs (Reptilia, Archosauria) in the collections of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History 18:1-67 DOI ↗
C. Lupton, D. Gabriel, and R. M. West. 1980. Paleobiology and depositional setting of a Late Cretaceous vertebrate locality, Hell Creek Formation, McCone County, Montana. Contributions to Geology, University of Wyoming 18(2):117-126
R. E. Molnar. 1980. An albertosaur from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. Journal of Paleontology 54(1):102-108
K. Carpenter. 1979. Vertebrate fauna of the Laramie Formation (Maestrichtian), Weld County, Colorado. Contributions to Geology, University of Wyoming 17(1):37-49
M. Odano. 1978. Tyrannosaurus rex and the amateurs. Terra 17(2):16-23
R. Estes. 1964. Fossil vertebrates from the Late Cretaceous Lance Formation, eastern Wyoming. University of California Publications in Geological Sciences 49:1-187
C. W. Gilmore. 1920. Osteology of the carnivorous Dinosauria in the United States National Museum, with special reference to the genera Antrodemus (Allosaurus) and Ceratosaurus. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 110:1-154 DOI ↗
H. F. Osborn. 1909. Extinct mammals, birds, reptiles and fishes. Fortieth Annual Report of the American Museum of Natural History for the Year 1908
H. F. Osborn. 1905. Tyrannosaurus and other Cretaceous carnivorous dinosaurs. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 21(14):259-265