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A very large bipedal carnivorous dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period, with powerful jaws and small clawlike front legs.
Family Tyrannosauridae, infraorder Carnosauria, suborder Theropoda: several species, in particular Tyrannosaurus rex
‘Throughout the Late Cretaceous, tyrannosaurs diversified into several species, all with large heads, powerful bodies, and two-fingered hands.’
‘Mum, did you know that the gigantosaurus was the biggest meat-eating dinosaur and not the tyrannosaurus rex?’
‘Most predatory dinosaurs such as tyrannosaurs and velociraptors have usually been depicted in museums, films and books as covered in a thick hide of dull brown or green skin.’
‘Because feathers are a unique feature, they are thought to be characteristic of many theropod dinosaurs, including tyrannosaurs.’
‘Today's bullies of the Serengeti plains, lions and spotted hyenas, were paralleled by tyrannosaurs in Jurassic and Cretaceous ecosystems.’
Origin
Modern Latin, from Greek turannos ‘tyrant’ + sauros ‘lizard’, on the pattern of dinosaur.