The two skulls were assigned to the preexisting species Laelaps incrassatus by Edward Drinker Cope in 1892, although the name Laelaps was preoccupied by a genus of mite and had been changed to Dryptosaurus in 1877 by Othniel Charles Marsh.
While Albertosaurus was large for a theropod, it was much smaller than its larger and more famous relative Tyrannosaurus rex, growing and possibly weighing or less. Since the first discovery in 1884, fossils of more than 30 individuals have been recovered, providing scientists with a more detailed knowledge of Albertosaurus anatomy than is available for most other tyrannosaurids.
More than 30 specimens of all ages are known to science. ===Early discoveries=== The type specimen is a partial skull, collected in the summer of 1884 from an outcrop of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation alongside the Red Deer River, in Alberta.
This specimen, found on June 9, 1884, was recovered by an expedition of the Geological Survey of Canada, led by the famous geologist Joseph Burr Tyrrell.
In 1889, Tyrrell's colleague Thomas Chesmer Weston found an incomplete smaller skull associated with some skeletal material at a location nearby.
The two skulls were assigned to the preexisting species Laelaps incrassatus by Edward Drinker Cope in 1892, although the name Laelaps was preoccupied by a genus of mite and had been changed to Dryptosaurus in 1877 by Othniel Charles Marsh.
However, Lawrence Lambe used the name Dryptosaurus incrassatus instead of Laelaps incrassatus when he described the remains in detail in 1903 and 1904, a combination first coined by Oliver Perry Hay in 1902. Shortly later, Osborn pointed out that D.
However, Lawrence Lambe used the name Dryptosaurus incrassatus instead of Laelaps incrassatus when he described the remains in detail in 1903 and 1904, a combination first coined by Oliver Perry Hay in 1902. Shortly later, Osborn pointed out that D.
However, Lawrence Lambe used the name Dryptosaurus incrassatus instead of Laelaps incrassatus when he described the remains in detail in 1903 and 1904, a combination first coined by Oliver Perry Hay in 1902. Shortly later, Osborn pointed out that D.
The discovery of 26 individuals at one site provides evidence of pack behaviour and allows studies of ontogeny and population biology, which are impossible with lesser-known dinosaurs due to their remains being rarer and more fragmentary compared to those of Albertosaurus. ==History of discovery== ===Naming=== Albertosaurus was named by Henry Fairfield Osborn in a one-page note at the end of his 1905 description of Tyrannosaurus rex.
aquilunguis, type species of Dryptosaurus, so Osborn created the new name Albertosaurus sarcophagus for them in 1905.
All text is taken from Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License .
Page generated on 2021-08-05