Nanuqsaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nanuqsaurus |
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| Reconstructed skull with cast of the holotype in place, Perot Museum | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Tyrannosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Tyrannosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Nanuqsaurus Fiorillo & Tykoski, 2014 |
| Type species | |
| †Nanuqsaurus hoglundi Fiorillo & Tykoski, 2014
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Nanuqsaurus (say "Nah-nook-SAWR-us") means 'polar bear lizard'. It was a type of meat-eating dinosaur called a theropod. This dinosaur lived in Alaska during the Late Cretaceous period, about 69 million years ago. We only know about Nanuqsaurus from a single fossil, which is part of its skull.
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Discovering Nanuqsaurus
Nanuqsaurus was first discovered in Alaska. Scientists Anthony Fiorillo and Ronald Tykoski officially named and described it in 2014. The only fossil found so far is a piece of its skull, which is called DMNH 21461. This fossil was found in the Prince Creek Formation, a rock layer in northern Alaska.
A Smaller Tyrannosaur Cousin
Nanuqsaurus was a relative of the famous Tyrannosaurus rex. Both were part of a group of dinosaurs called Tyrannosaurids. However, Nanuqsaurus was much smaller than T. rex. Scientists think it grew to about 6 meters (20 feet) long. That's about half the size of a full-grown Tyrannosaurus. Its skull would have been around 50 centimeters (1.65 feet) long when complete.
Why Was It Smaller?
Scientists believe Nanuqsaurus might have been smaller because of where it lived. During the Late Cretaceous, Alaska was much warmer than it is today, but it still had long periods of darkness in winter, just like the Arctic does now. These long, dark winters would have made food harder to find. Being smaller meant Nanuqsaurus needed less food to survive, which was a good adaptation for its environment.
Life in Ancient Alaska
Imagine Alaska 69 million years ago! It wasn't covered in ice. Instead, it was a forested land with rivers and swamps. Even though it was warmer, the dinosaurs living there still experienced seasons with long hours of daylight in summer and long hours of darkness in winter. Nanuqsaurus, as a top predator, would have hunted other dinosaurs in this unique environment.
What Did Nanuqsaurus Eat?
As a theropod, Nanuqsaurus was a carnivore, meaning it ate meat. With its strong jaws and sharp teeth, it would have hunted plant-eating dinosaurs that lived in the same area. These might have included hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinosaurs) or ceratopsians (horned dinosaurs) that lived in the ancient Alaskan forests.
Images for kids
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Restoration of the head
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Size comparison
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CT slice through the partial left dentary, showing the replacement teeth present in the jaw bone
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Nanuqsaurus in its environment
See also
In Spanish: Nanuqsaurus hoglundi para niños
