Gorgosaurus

### Attributes

Large head; sharp teeth; strong jaws; muscular legs; fast speed; small arms; horns on head

## Biography

### Locations

North America

***Gorgosaurus*** (name meaning "*Dreadful Lizard*") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that originated during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now North America. Though only measuring 8 meters long and weighing 2 tons, this vicious theropod dinosaur was a relative of *Tyrannosaurus rex*.

In the Series 2 episode "***Super Croc II: River of Death**,*" a pack of *Gorgosaurus*, consisting of four adults and several juveniles, were brought to the park from Late Cretaceous Alberta, 75 million years ago. They reside in the Tyrannosaur Kingdom Enclosure with their relatives as well as Tyrannosaurus The leader of the pack is a large male named Gorgo.

## Facts

### Era & Discovery

*Gorgosaurus* lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period, from 76 – 65 million years ago, and died out with all other dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous. Though *Gorgosaurus* was one of the apex predators in its region, it lived alongside other tyrannosaurs, like *Albertosaurus*, therefore, it is possible that the two species were rivals. It lived alongside dinosaurs and other creatures like *Parasaurolophus*, *Edmontosaurus*, *Corythosaurus*, *Dromaeosaurus*, *Euoplocephalus*, *Stegoceras*, *Chirostenotes*, and *Hesperonychus*.

*Gorgosaurus* was first described by Lawrence Lambe in 1914. *Gorgosaurus* was one of the tyrannosauroids that lived only after the famous *Tyrannosaurus rex* evolved, and as in the case of *Gorgosaurus*, they were only a dozen or so feet shorter than *Tyrannosaurus rex* already in their day, millions of years after the King of the Dinosaurs appeared in North America as the largest and most terrifying tyrannosaurid that ever walked the Earth.

### Physical Description

*Gorgosaurus* was a tyrannosaurid similar in size to other smaller tyrannosaurs, like *Albertosaurus*. Therefore, it was smaller than larger ones like *Tyrannosaurus rex* and *Tarbosaurus*. *Gorgosaurus* was a fearsome predator that reached an adult size of roughly around 26 feet (8 m) long, stood around 10 feet (3 m) tall, and weighed just over 2.5 tons (5,000 lbs.) in mass. *Gorgosaurus'* main features are two horn-like bumps on its head above the eyes. Additionally, like all tyrannosaurids, *Gorgosaurus* possessed small, two-fingered arms.

Like *Albertosaurus*, *Gorgosaurus* was a finely balanced carnivore and had large, muscular and powerful legs, being more agile than *Tyrannosaurus rex* and likely able to reach a top speed of around 30 mph (48 km/h). Therefore, *Gorgosaurus* was extremely fast, especially for a large animal.

Additionally, *Gorgosaurus* packed a powerful bite greater than anything alive on land today can match, bearing 60 serrated, sharp teeth in its mouth, made for slicing through flesh and cracking bones. With this, it was able to consume hundreds of pounds of meat in a single bite. *Gorgosaurus* also had an acute sense of smell as well as hawk-like eyesight.

### Behavior & Traits

*Gorgosaurus* hunted and traveled in packs of at least four individuals, like all tyrannosaurs and other predators, which allowed it to ambush and pursue its prey. *Gorgosaurus* hunted large dinosaurs like hadrosaurs and ankylosaurs, like most other animals, may have even been cannibalistic.

When hunting, the pack of *Gorgosaurus* laid in wait, getting into ambush positions to stay out of sight of their prey. They did this to pick out the weakest members of the herd. Once they had their target selected, they came out of their ambush positions and would chase their prey, causing panic and biting at them as well. With high-tech hunting strategies, they enacted their plan to separate the youngest and weakest members of the herd. This implies that *Gorgosaurus* was a smart predator.

Additionally, during mating season, the horn-like bumps on *Gorgosaurus's* head were probably used for display in courtships, as these would be no use in battle, unlike horned ceratopsians. In that case, they would've been brightly colored.

## Trivia

* *Gorgosaurus* was the physically smallest tyrannosaur brought to the park.
* The sound effects of *Gorgosaurus* are the same sound effects used for the *Gorgosaurus* in the Walking with Dinosaurs 3D movie.