Paleontologists have announced that a new species of dinosaur may be a direct ancestor of the legendary Tyrannosaurus rex, the “king of the dinosaurs”, according to ABC News.

The newly identified species, called Tyrannosaurus macraiensis, roamed the Earth between 70 and 73 million years ago, about 5 million years before Tyrannosaurus rex. study announced on Thursday, Exit I got it.

Paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur that may be the closest known relative of the famous Tyrannosaurus rex. https://t.co/A04EHPN4qW

— ABC News (@ABC) January 11, 2024

Paleontologists first discovered and studied fossils of the new species, Tyrannosaurus macraiensis, after a civilian boater came across the dinosaur's jaw in the 1980s. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science he told the outlet.

Researchers at the time believed that this fossil was tyrannosaurus rexAnd it wasn't until decades later that paleontologists concluded that the fossil belonged to a previously unknown species, Lucas added. (Related: Engineers accidentally discover 125 million-year-old dinosaur fossil)

Anthony Fiorello, the museum's executive director, told ABC News that the two species appear to have notable differences in their jaws and retroorbital bones, which may be due to differences in how they process food and attract mates. He said no.

Tyrannosaurus macraiensis also likely lived more than 100 miles inland, but most of the other dinosaur fossils found in the western United States were located within a few miles of the coast, Lucas said. he said. (Related: Incredible new dinosaur species unearthed)

“We're looking at a dinosaur fauna that lives in a fairly unique environment” and “an entirely new species of animal previously unknown to science,” Lucas said, according to the ABC.