Aviatyrannis

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iAviatyrannis Fossil range: Late Jurassic
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Infraorder: Coelurosauria Superfamily: Tyrannosauroidea Genus: Aviatyrannis Species: A. jurassica
Binomial name
Aviatyrannis jurassica Rauhut, 2003

Aviatyrannis is a tyrannosaurid dinosaur from the Kimmeridgian of the Late Jurassic found in Portugal. It was described by Oliver Rauhut in 2003. The name means "Jurassic grandmother tyrant". It is one of the oldest tyrannosaurs ever found, the oldest being Guanlong (or Iliosuchus if it is indeed tyrannosauroid).

Aviatyrannis was perhaps a contemporary of another ancient tyrannosaur, the American Stokesosaurus. Aviatyrannis was even originally assigned to Stokesosaurus, and its fragmentary remains maintain the question of their synonymity open.

Like other early tyrannosaurs, Aviatyrannis was rather small. The holotype, for example, is an ilium only 90 millimeters long.

[edit] External links

• "Aviatyrannis". DinoData.

[edit] References

• Oliver W. M. Rauhut. (2003). "A tyrannosauroid dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal". Palaeontology 46: 903-910.