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Suskityrannus

Say it: sus-kee-tie-RAN-us

Name means: “coyote tyrant”1

Ate: MeatTyrannosaursLate Cretaceous

Suskityrannus was a small, fast-running cousin of the giant T. rex. It lived about 92 million years ago in what is now New Mexico, USA. This little predator had long legs and a foot built for speed.2 1

Lived

94 to 90 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Moreno Hill Formation, Zuni Basin, western New Mexico, USA1 3

Food

Meat3

Length

2.5 to 3.5 m1

estimated from juvenile specimens; adults were probably not much larger

Weight

20 kg to 40 kg1

Height

0.8 to 1.2 m1

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 2 bicycles in a rowas long as 19 bananas end to endas heavy as 10 house catsas heavy as 8 watermelonsup to the handle of a door

How big was Suskityrannus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Suskityrannus had the earliest known arctometatarsalian foot among its group, meaning its foot bones were pinched together for running fast.2 1

The fossils were discovered in 1998 by a geologist named Robert Denton and a teenage museum volunteer named Sterling Nesbitt.1

Suskityrannus lived during a time when sea levels were high and much of North America was underwater.2

Its name means 'coyote tyrant' in the Zuni language, because it was a small, clever predator like a coyote.1

The two known skeletons belong to young individuals that were still growing, but adults were still much smaller than later tyrannosaurs like T. rex.1

Suskityrannus filled a big gap in the fossil record, showing how small early tyrannosaurs evolved into giant ones.2

AI-made picture of Suskityrannus — An AI-made picture of how Suskityrannus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Suskityrannus

?How big was Suskityrannus?

Suskityrannus was a small dinosaur. Its skull was only 25 to 32 centimetres (9.8 to 12.6 inches) long, and the known specimens were still growing, so adults were much smaller than later tyrannosaurs like T. rex.1

?What did Suskityrannus eat?

Suskityrannus was a predator, so it likely ate small animals like lizards, early mammals, and maybe baby dinosaurs. Its sharp teeth and fast legs helped it hunt.1 2

?When did Suskityrannus live?

Suskityrannus lived about 92 million years ago during the Turonian stage of the Late Cretaceous period.1 2

?Where was Suskityrannus found?

Suskityrannus fossils were found in the Moreno Hill Formation of the Zuni Basin in western New Mexico, USA.1

?Was Suskityrannus a dinosaur?

Yes, Suskityrannus was a dinosaur. It was a small tyrannosauroid theropod, which is a group of meat-eating dinosaurs that includes T. rex.1

?How fast could Suskityrannus run?

Suskityrannus had long legs and an arctometatarsalian foot, which means its foot bones were pinched together for speed. Scientists think it was a fast runner, but no exact speed is known.1 2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Suskityrannus
Named by: Nesbitt et al. 20193
Group: Tyrannosaurs
Family / clade: Tyrannosauroidea3
Classification: Theropoda > Tyrannosauroidea3
Age of the rocks: 94 to 90 million years (Turonian)3
Rock formations: Moreno Hill3
Countries: USA3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The first fossils were found in 1998 by geologist Robert Denton and teenager Sterling Nesbitt in New Mexico. The species was officially named Suskityrannus hazelae in 2019.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly how big adult Suskityrannus grew, because only young skeletons have been found.1

Where the facts come from

Suskityrannus (en.wikipedia.org)
A mid-Cretaceous tyrannosauroid and the origin of North American end-Cretaceous dinosaur assemblages | Nature Ecology & Evolution (nature.com)
Suskityrannus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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