Tyrannosaurid (Teratophoneus?) Tooth-Texas 03

Taxa: Tyrannosaurid (Teratophoneus?)

Age: Cretaceous-Campanian

Geology: Aguja formation

Locality: Brewster County, Texas

No restorations.

Tyrannosaurids

Tyrannosaurids from the Aguja Formation in West Texas were relatively gracile, medium-sized predators from the Late Cretaceous. Fossil evidence suggests they reached about 6.5 meters in length and 700 kg in weight, smaller than later tyrannosaurids like T. rex. Their skeletal features show a mix of traits seen in both Albertosaurinae and Tyrannosaurinae, but they cannot be confidently assigned to any known species. These tyrannosaurids lived alongside a diverse dinosaur fauna in southern Laramidia and represent an early stage in tyrannosaurid evolution in North America.

Aguja formation

The Aguja Formation is a Late Cretaceous geological formation exposed in West Texas (USA) and parts of northern Mexico. It consists mainly of sandstones and shales, with some lignite and mudstone, deposited in environments ranging from marine and deltaic to inland floodplain. The formation records the retreat of the Western Interior Seaway and features rich fossil deposits, including dinosaurs, turtles, and fossil plants such as palms. It is particularly well exposed in Big Bend National Park and is notable for its complex stratigraphy and diverse terrestrial vertebrate fauna.