Daspletosaurus

## Physiology

### Attributes

Large head; sharp teeth; strong jaws; muscular legs; fast speed; small arms; long tail

## Biography

### Time

77 to 65 MYA

> *That is a Daspletosaurus, a relative of Tyrannosaurus from the Late Cretaceous Period.*
>
> Narrator, about *Daspletosaurus*, Oh Mother, Where Art Thou?

***Daspletosaurus*** (name meaning "*Frightful Lizard*") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that originated during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now North America. Measuring 10 meters long, weighing around 4 tons, and related to the much larger *Tyrannosaurus*, *Daspletosaurus* was the third-largest member of the tyrannosaurs.

In the Series 1 episode "*Oh Mother, Where Art Thou?*", a mating pair of *Daspletosaurus* was unintentionally hunting prey from Late Cretaceous North America, 75.5 million years ago.

## Facts

### Era & Discovery

*Daspletosaurus* lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous period up until the extinction at the end of the Cretaceous, from 77 to 65 million years ago. An apex predator, *Daspletosaurus* was at the top of the food chain, preying on ankylosaurs, ceratopsians, and hadrosaurs. In some areas, *Daspletosaurus* coexisted with two other tyrannosaurids, *Gorgosaurus* and *Albertosaurus*.

*Daspletosaurus* was discovered in 1921 near Steveville, Alberta, by Charles Mortram Sternberg, who thought it was a new species of *Gorgosaurus*. It was not until 1970 that the specimen was fully described by Dale Russell, who made it the type of a new genus, *Daspletosaurus*.

### Physical Attributes

*Daspletosaurus* was a very large predator. In fact, it was the third-largest member of the tyrannosaur family, after *Tarbosaurus* and *Tyrannosaurus rex* itself. Adults grew to stand 11 – 15 feet (3 – 4 m) tall at the hips, measured over 26 – 35 feet (8 – 10 m) long snout to tail, and weighed around 3 – 4 tons (6,000 – 8,000 lbs), making *Daspletosaurus* one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs ever to walk the Earth.

*Daspletosaurus* shared the same body form as other tyrannosaurids; a short, S-shaped neck supporting a massive skull; walking on two thick hindlimbs; extremely small forelimbs baring only two digits; a long, heavy tail served as a counterweight to the head and torso, with the center of gravity over the hips. An adult *Daspletosaurus* was armed with around six dozen teeth that were very long and blade-like.

### Behavior & Traits

Like many tyrannosaurids and other theropod dinosaurs, *Daspletosaurus* lived and hunted in packs, of around 3 to 4 individuals. When hunting, one member of the pack would chase their selected prey, separating them from the herd, and chase them towards the other awaiting members of the packs. Once done, the hidden pack members burst out from their hiding places and struck out, killing their prey instantly.

Female *Daspletosaurus* were very protective of their young. However, despite their ability to hunt in packs, *Daspletosaurus* were also cannibals.

## Trivia

* The sound effects of *Daspletosaurus* are that of crocodile, elephant, leopard, and walrus and used t rex from jurassic park sound effects.
* The *Daspletosaurus* featured in the series are larger than their real-life counterparts. In reality, they were roughly the same size as tyrannosaurs like *Albertosaurus* and *Gorgosaurus*.