North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and N.C. State University Announces Groundbreaking Dinosaur Discovery
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University announced what they are calling “the most important dinosaur discovery of the decade”— definitive proof of a new tyrannosaur species coexisting with T. rex, a speedy and agile creature called Nanotyrannus.
“This is the biggest dinosaur discovery of the decade, and I am proud that it is happening right here in North Carolina,” said Governor Josh Stein. “North Carolina’s public universities and public museums are continuously on the forefront of scientific research and advancement.”
Paleontologists in the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences’ SECU DinoLab — the world’s only paleontology preparation lab regularly open to the public — have been studying the pair of exquisitely preserved, 67-million-year-old specimens called the “Dueling Dinosaurs” after the museum acquired them in 2020. This is the first major research finding announcement to the public from this lab, overturning three decades of scientific consensus on tyrannosaurs research.
The Dueling Dinosaurs fossil contains two dinosaurs preserved together in a potential predator-prey encounter: a Triceratops and what was originally thought to be a juvenile tyrannosaur. They were found buried together in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. That tyrannosaur is now confirmed to be a fully grown Nanotyrannus lancensis – not a teenage Tyrannosaurus rex, as many scientists once believed.
Dr. Lindsay Zanno, head of paleontology at the Museum of Natural Sciences and associate research professor at the N.C. State University, and Dr. James Napoli, anatomist at Stony Brook University, co-authored the study appearing today in the scientific journal Nature.
“This fossil doesn’t just settle the debate. It flips decades of T. rex research on its head,” said Zanno. “The best part of this discovery is being able to share it with the world. Anyone who wants to see a 100% complete Nanotyrannus can come to the museum, speak directly with the scientific team, and stand next to the real skeleton.”
The Dueling Dinosaurs experience at NCMNS includes two exhibit zones immersing visitors in the age of dinosaurs as well as highlighting the tools and techniques used by today’s paleontologists. At its core, the SECU DinoLab hosts a team of outstanding paleontologists who will be studying these specimens for years to come.
