Zhuchengtyrannus attack

Acrylics, digital and photography, 2011

c.75 million years ago, Late Cretaceous (Campanian), Wangshi Group, Shandong, China

Having separated a juvenile Sinoceratops from the protection of the herd, Zhuchengtyrannus magnus moves in for the kill.

Z. magnus was a giant tyrannosaurid theropod, described on the basis of a lower jaw and maxilla. At least 11m in length, it approached the size of it's famous North American cousin, T. rex. Disarticulated tyrannosaurid postcrania from the same site (Zangjiazhuang quarry) almost certainly includes more of this wee beastie - but based on skull material there were two big tyrannosaurid species in the region so it will take a while to sort out which bone belongs to who.

Sinoceratops zhuchengensis was a c.7 m long ceratopsian known from several partial skulls found at Zangjiazhuang. It represents the first undisputable evidence that the typically North American giant horned ceratopsids once roamed Asia as well.

copyright Brian Choo 2011