page_title: Timeline of tyrannosaur research
section_title: 2010s
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of tyrannosaur research / 21st century / 2010s
caption_attribution_description: Nanuqsaurus hoglundi portrait by Tom Parker.
context_page_description: This timeline of tyrannosaur research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the tyrannosaurs, a group of predatory theropod dinosaurs that began as small, long-armed bird-like creatures with elaborate cranial ornamentation but achieved apex predator status during the Late Cretaceous as their arms shrank and body size expanded. Although formally trained scientists did not begin to study tyrannosaur fossils until the mid-19th century, these remains may have been discovered by Native Americans and interpreted through a mythological lens. The Montana Crow tradition about thunder birds with two claws on their feet may have been inspired by isolated tyrannosaurid forelimbs found locally. Other legends possibly inspired by tyrannosaur remains include Cheyenne stories about a mythical creature called the Ahke, and Delaware stories about smoking the bones of ancient monsters to have wishes granted.
  Tyrannosaur remains were among the first dinosaur fossils collected in the United States. The first of these was named Deinodon horridus by Joseph Leidy. However, as this species was based only on teeth the name would fall into disuse.
context_section_description: 2010
  Carr and Williamson described the new genus and species Bistahieversor sealeyi.
  Averianov and others, described the new genus and species Kileskus aristotocus.
  Li and others, described the new genus and species Xiongguanlong baimoensis.
  2011
  Carr and others described the new genus and species Teratophoneus curriei.
  Hone and others described the new genus and species Zhuchengtyrannus magnus.
  2012
  Xu and others described the new genus and species Yutyrannus huali.
  2013
  Brusatte and Benson described the new genus and species Juratyrant langhami, which was formerly considered a species of Stokesosaurus.
  Loewen and others described the new genus and species Lythronax argestes.
  2014
  Fiorillo and Tykoski described the new genus and species Nanuqsaurus hoglundi.
  Lü Junchang and others described the new genus and species Qianzhousaurus sinensis.
  2015
  The National Geographic Channel aired a documentary, T. rex Autopsy. Described more accurately as a thought experiment, it depicted four scientists, among them Steven Brusatte autopsying a life-size model of Tyrannosaurus rex.
  2016
  Brusatte and others described the new genus and species Timurlengia euotica.
  2017
  Brusatte and others described the new species Daspletosaurus horneri.
  Chan-gyu Yun erected the new genus Teihivenator for the species "Laelaps" macropus.
  2018
  McDonald and others described the new genus and species Dynamoterror dynastes.
  2019
  Zanno and others described the new genus and species Moros intrepidus.
  The first neurocranial and paleoneurological description of Dilong paradoxus, comparing it with large tyrannosaurids, will be published by Kundrát et al. (2019).
  A study on the agility and turning capability of tyrannosaurids and other large theropods is published by Snively et al. (2019), who argue that tyrannosaurids could turn with greater agility, thus pivoting more quickly, than other large theropods, which enhanced their ability to pursue and subdue prey.
  A study on the tooth replacement patterns in tyrannosaurid theropods, as indicated by data from a juvenile specimen of Tarbosaurus bataar, will be published by Hanai & Tsuihiji (2019).
  A study on the complexity and modularity of the skull of Tyrannosaurus rex is published by Werneburg et al. (2019).
  Traces preserved on a tail vertebra of a hadrosaurid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation (Montana, United States) are described by Peterson & Daus (2019), who interpret their finding as feeding traces produced by a late-stage juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex.
  A large specimen of Tyrannosaurus rex (RSM P2523.8) with an estimated body mass exceeding other known T. rex specimens and representatives of all other gigantic terrestrial theropods is described by Persons, Currie & Erickson (2019).
  The tyrannosaur Suskityrannus originally found 1998 in the Moreno Hill Formation was described in May of 2019. The genus serves as a gap between the smaller tyrannosaurids and the larger ones.
  Voris and others describe a juvenile Daspletosaurus postorbital and reidentify the only juvenile Daspletosaurus skeleton (TMP 1994.143.1)  as a juvenile Gorgosaurus.
caption: Artist's restoration of Nanuqsaurus.
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