Prehistoric life
Tarbosaurus was a relative of Tyrannosaurus and lived in Asia during the late Cretaceous. It has the smallest forearms of all the tyrannosaurs known and though slightly smaller than T-rex, was still one of the larger members of the tyrannosaurid family. It had a lightweight skeleton, which probably helped to increase its agility. Tarbosaurus bataar skeletons are common in the rocks of the Nemegt Formation of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.
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Smashing time
A recreated encounter between Tarbosaurus and a tail-clubbing Ankylosaur.
Dr Phil Manning of the Museum of Manchester talks about a working model of an Ankylosaur tail club built by special effects experts Dave Payne and John Pennicott. The tail model smashes through a log of wood - giving a reasonable estimation of what it could do to the leg bone of an attacking Tarbosaurus.
Clash of titans
Tarbosaurus and a Therizinosaurus face off in a battle of gigantic proportions.
Zoologist Nigel Marven travels back in time to meet the giants of the dinosaur age and walks into a battle of gigantic proportions.
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Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Discover the other animals and plants that lived during the following geological time periods.
Cretaceous periodTarbosaurus (pron.: /ˌtɑrbɵˈsɔrəs/ TAR-bo-SAWR-əs; meaning "alarming lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that flourished in Asia about 70 million years ago, at the end of the Late Cretaceous Period. Fossils have been recovered in Mongolia, with more fragmentary remains found further afield in parts of China.
Although many species have been named, modern paleontologists recognize only one, T. bataar, as valid. Some experts see this species as an Asian representative of the North American genus Tyrannosaurus; this would make the genus Tarbosaurus redundant. Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, if not synonymous, are considered to be at least closely related genera. Alioramus, also from Mongolia, is thought by some authorities to be the closest relative of Tarbosaurus.
Like most known tyrannosaurids, Tarbosaurus was a large bipedal predator, weighing up to six tonnes and equipped with 60 large teeth. It had a unique locking mechanism in its lower jaw and the smallest forelimbs relative to body size of all tyrannosaurids, renowned for their disproportionately tiny, two-fingered forelimbs.
Tarbosaurus lived in a humid floodplain criss-crossed by river channels. In this environment, it was an apex predator at the top of the food chain, probably preying on other large dinosaurs like the hadrosaur Saurolophus or the sauropod Nemegtosaurus. Tarbosaurus is very well represented in the fossil record, known from dozens of specimens, including several complete skulls and skeletons. These remains have allowed scientific studies focusing on its phylogeny, skull mechanics, and brain structure.
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Carnivorous
Egg layer
Predator
Adapted to running
Scavenger