Dinosauria
Saurischia
Theropoda
Tetanurae
Avetheropoda
Coelurosauria
Tyrannoraptora
Tyrannosauroidea
Tyrannosauridae
Albertosaurinae
Pronunciation: al-BUHR-toe-SOR-rih-nay
Authors: Currie, Hurum and Sabath
Year: 2003
Etymology: Albertosaurus sub-family (see etymology)
Locomotion: Bipedal (two legs)
Synonyms: None known
Authors: Currie, Hurum and Sabath
Year: 2003
Etymology: Albertosaurus sub-family (see etymology)
Locomotion: Bipedal (two legs)
Synonyms: None known
Sereno, 2005Definition
All Tyrannosaurids more closey related to Albertosaurus sarcophagus than Tyrannosaurus rex.
About
Albertosaurinae, anchored by Albertosaurus, is one of two groups within Tyrannosauridae. Members of Albertosaurinae are known as albertosaurines.
Typically, albertosaurines have proportionately longer shins, feet and toes, shorter and shallower skulls, and are more slender than the robust tyrannosaurines (members of Tyrannosaurinae — the other group of tyrannosaurids) and differ in features of the skull that you need a PhD to understand. No offence intended.
All albertosaurines hail from western North America with the oldest member—Gorgosaurus—in its pomp during the Campanian of the Late Cretaceous while the youngest—Albertosaurus—didn't quite make it to the end of the age of dinosaurs and was pushing up daisies a good million years before the close of the Maastrichtian.
Together with Tyrannosaurinae, the albertosaurines make up Tyrannosauridae.
Click here to search our database for Albertosaurines.
Etymology
Albertosaurinae is derived from Albertosaurus (anchor of the group) and the Latin "inae" (subfamily), referring to its position within the family Tyrannosauridae. Albertosaurus was named for Alberta, Canada, and the Greek "sauros" (lizard).
Relationships
References
• Osborn HF (1905) "Tyrannosaurus and other Cretaceous carnivorous dinosaurs". Bulletin of the AMNH 21(14): 259-265.
• Currie PJ, Hurum JH, and Sabath K (2003) "Skull structure and evolution in tyrannosaurid dinosaurs". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 48(2). DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511608377.011
• Bell PR and Currie PJ (2014) "Albertosaurus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) material from an Edmontosaurus bonebed (Horseshoe Canyon Formation) near Edmonton: Clarification of palaeogeographic distribution". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 51(11): 1-6.
