Pronunciation: SIGH-no-tie-RAN-us
Meaning: Chinese tyrant
Author/s: Ji, Ji and Zhang (2009)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Liaoning Province, China
Discovery Chart Position: #688
Sinotyrannus kazuoensis
Sinotyrannus is is the largest known basal proceratosaurid tyrannosauroid from the Jehol Biota — the entire ecosystem of north?eastern China from 133 to 120 million years ago — but this isn't as clever as it sounds. It's currently the only basal proceratosaurid tyrannosauroid from the Jehol Biota, but it's also this area's largest theropod of any stamp, almost on a par with the advanced, Late Cretaceous North American tyrannosaurids according to some sources, but their estimated stats may be way too high.
When Ji Qiang et al. described Sinotyrannus in 2009 they claimed it may have been upwards of 9 metres long, but it lived tens of millions of years before the tyrant lizard super-sizing was thought to have begun. Some experts reckon you could safely knock 30% off that length without embarrassment, though a more modest 6?metre length still makes it stupendously big for a proceratosaurid, and the largest pre-Late Cretaceous tyrannosauroid bar none.
When Ji Qiang et al. described Sinotyrannus in 2009 they claimed it may have been upwards of 9 metres long, but it lived tens of millions of years before the tyrant lizard super-sizing was thought to have begun. Some experts reckon you could safely knock 30% off that length without embarrassment, though a more modest 6?metre length still makes it stupendously big for a proceratosaurid, and the largest pre-Late Cretaceous tyrannosauroid bar none.
(Chinese tyrant from Kazuo)Etymology
Sinotyrannus is derived from the Latin "sino" (an ancient name for China) and the Greek "tyrannus" (tyrant).The species epithet, kazuoensis, is derived from "Kazuo" (for Kazuo county, where it was found) and the Latin "-ensis" (from).
Discovery
Sinotyrannus was discovered in the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation (Jehol Biota) at Dachengzi town, Kazuo County, western Liaoning Province, China. The holotype (KZV-001, housed at the Bureau of Land and Resources of Kazuo County) is a partial skull and skeleton including vertebrae, ribs, a hip bone and a toe.
