Daspletosaurus Characteristics

Like most known tyrannosaurids, it was a huge and heavy bipedal predator equipped with dozens of large, sharp teeth. Daspletosaurus had the small forelimbs typical of tyrannosaurids. While Daspletosaurus was very large by the standard of modern predators, it was not the largest tyrannosaurid. Daspletosaurus could reach a length of 8 – 9 metres (26 – 30 feet) from snout to tail. It stood 9 feet (2.7 metres) tall at the hips and weighed around 3 tons (2,700 kilograms).

Daspletosaurus had a massive skull that could reach more than 1 metre (3.3 feet) in length. The bones were heavily constructed and some, including the nasal bones on top of the snout, were fused for strength. Large fenestrae (openings) in the skull reduced the skulls weight. Daspletosaurus has tiny bones behind its eyes. Daspletosaurus was equipped with many blade-like teeth. Each tooth was dagger-like, curved and very sharp. This powerful dinosaur was capable of killing even the largest of its herbivorous prey.

Daspletosaurus shared the same body form as other tyrannosaurids, with a short, S-shaped neck supporting the massive skull. It walked on its 2 thick hindlimbs, which ended in 4 toed feet, although the first digit (the hallux) did not contact the ground. In contrast, the forelimbs were extremely small and bore only 2 digits, although Daspletosaurus had the longest forelimbs in proportion to body size of any tyrannosaurid. A long, heavy tail served as a counterweight to the head and torso, with the centre of gravity over the hips.

Daspletosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur. This ferocious hunter lived in the marshes and swamps. As an apex predator, Daspletosaurus was at the top of the food chain, probably preying on large dinosaurs like the Centrosaurus and the hadrosaur Hypacrosaurus. It was more robust than its contemporary cousin, the Albertosaurus and it is speculated that it was better suited to hunting the slower horned dinosaurs, therefore leaving the faster hadrosaurs to the lighter and speedier Albertosaurus.

Daspletosaurus torosus came to an end about 3 million years before the great dinosaur extinction which occurred 65 million years ago.

Fossils of the only named species (D. torosus) were discovered in 1921 by Charles Sternberg on the banks of a river in Alberta, Canada, although other possible species from Alberta, Montana and New Mexico await description. Including these undescribed species, Daspletosaurus is the most species-rich genus of tyrannosaur.