Name: "Alberta lizard" (Gr. 'sauros' - lizard, reptile)
Species:Albertosaurus sarcophagus, a few others as well
Family: Tyrannosauridae
Order/Suborder: saurischia/
theropoda
Time: late
Cretaceous; 75 mya
Location: North America (
Alberta,
Canada)
Diet: carnivore
Discovered: 1905, by
Osborn
Length: 28 ft. (8.5 m)
Height: 10 ft. (3 m) at the hip
Weight: 2.5 tons (2,300 kilos)
Fossil Record: a few complete skeletons, some partial too.
Albertosaurus is considered the best-known of all tyrannosaurids. It was massively built, with large head and jaws, and tiny two-fingered hands, typical features of the latest generation of theropods. It is a close ancestor of Tyrannosaurus, looking like a slightly smaller and less muscular version of its grandson, the famous T-rex.
Scientists know a lot about this animal becuase they have found so many specemins, many in the same place, giving rise to the theory that Albertosaurus was a pack animal and not a solitary hunter/scavenger like Tyrannosaurus.