Bistahieversor
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Bistahieversor, which translates to “Bistahi Destroyer”, comes from the Kirtland Formation of New Mexico. It represents an unusual stage in the evolution of Tyrannosaurs, due to the shape of its head, hole above its eye socket, and slim, yet strong build
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History:
Originally found in 1990, the name Bistahieversor never existed; in its place existed Aublysodon. However, more material uncovered in 1992, including a partial skeleton and skull, revealed more of the animal’s anatomy enough to differentiate it from the genus Aublysodon. Then, again more material was uncovered in the Bisti wilderness of New Mexico in 1998 to further differentiate it from its initial genus. It was not until 2010 that the animal was renamed Bistahieversor.
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Biology:
Bistahieversor contained features of more advanced Tyrannosaurs as well as more derived genera. Its skull was unusually deep in contrast to Tyrannosaurs that appeared after it, which suggests the deepness of the skull is not a feature that evolved in advancement of the family but rather a characteristic that evolved due to environmental pressures. Bistahieversor has been placed in the subfamily Tyrannosaurinae, which consists of; Daspletosaurus, Teratophoneus, Lythronax, and Nanuqsaurus. The material is from both adolescent and adult individuals and as such, the growth stage can be roughly inferred, which is different from many other Tyrannosaur genera. The skull holds a hole above the eye socket found only in the adult skulls and is absent in the juvenile skull, which suggests that it only appeared in adulthood. It is thought that the hole would have held an air sac in life to reduce the skull’s weight. Bistahieversor measured an approximate 30 feet long and 10 feet tall, which reached similar sizes to Daspletosaurus
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This find has elucidated a new predator of the southern hemisphere that had not been previously known, and represents a new spot in the ecosystem. Only more finds will help outline the animal’s hunting habits and perhaps give more insight into how the animal lived
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Species List:
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Header Image: Art and Copyright belongs to Masato Hattori
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