Daspletosaurus - Meaning: Frightful Lizard

Daspletosaurus (da-PLEE-toe-SORE-us), was a theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now North America. It has been suggested that Daspletosaurus is a direct ancestor of Tyrannosaurus.

The massive, stocky build of the two tyrannosaurids and certain similarities in skull structures seem to be indicators of a close phylogenetic relationship between the two genera. Some have even gone further, to suggest that Daspletosaurus is actually a species of Tyrannosaurus (Tyrannosaurus torosus), but this has not been universally accepted.

This dinosaur measured up to 9 metres in length. It was a carnivorous dinosaur which was active during the Campanion era of the late Cretaceous.

Daspletosaurus is a carnivorous dinosaur.