Omnisaura

Dinosaur genus

Tyrannosaurus

Osborn 1905

Tyrannosaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 83.6–66 million years old, in 5 countries, most often the United States and Canada.

Also calledes Tiranosauriofr Tyrannosaureja ティラノサウルス属zh 暴龍zh 暴龍屬
mediummedium: Only Wikidata gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Confidence labels
How sure are we?5 high11 medium13 lowHow we rate confidence

Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.

At a glance

Data as of 4 October 2026
83.6–66 Ma
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by
Osborn 1905
highhigh: PBDB and Wikidata agree.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Described in
H. F. Osborn (1905). Tyrannosaurus and other Cretaceous carnivorous dinosaurs. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 21(14): 259–265.
highhigh: PBDB gives this publication for the name; its author and year match the naming authority (Osborn 1905), on which PBDB and Wikidata agree.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.

Lived
Campanian to Maastrichtian, 83.6–66 million years ago
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives a range this precise; NHM's records give only a broader interval, which contains it.
Omnisaura calculation83.6–66 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
mediummedium: Omnisaura's calculation from 75 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Fossils found in
United States
highhigh: NHM and PBDB both record it.
Canada
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).
China
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Mexico
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Russia
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
mixedmixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).

Rock formations
14, including Hell Creek Formation, Lance Formation, Denver and Ferris
mixedmixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Show all 14, each with its confidence
Hell Creek Formation
highhigh: NHM and PBDB both record it.
Denver
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).
Ferris
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).
Frenchman
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Lance Formation
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (8 records).
Dinosaur Park
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Fox Hills
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Fruitland/Kirtland
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Hall Lake
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Kirtland
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Lomas Coloradas
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Scollard
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Subashi
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Willow Creek
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.

Family
Tyrannosauridae
highhigh: PBDB and NHM agree.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Parent group
Tyrannosaurini
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Order
Saurischia
mediummedium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.

Species named in its records
Tyrannosaurus imperator, Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis, Tyrannosaurus regina, Tyrannosaurus rex, Tyrannosaurus turpanensis
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).

Older or other names
Dinotyrannus (a junior synonym); Dynamosaurus (a junior synonym); Manospondylus (a junior synonym); Stygivenator (a junior synonym)
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (names it treats as this genus).

Diet
carnivore (inferred for its group)
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this, and it infers it for the whole of Coelurosauria, the group this genus belongs to, not from this genus's own fossils.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.

Way of life
ground dwelling, solitary (inferred for its group)
lowlow: PBDB infers this way of life for the whole of Theropoda; behaviour is rarely known for one genus.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.

Known from
Bones
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), Natural History Museum Data Portal (CC0 1.0), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

Gaps are answers

What isn't known yet

  • Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
  • What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Held back: 12 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
  • Resting on one source: 5 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); order (NHM); age (headline) (PBDB); common names (Wikidata); diet (PBDB).

Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.

Where sources disagree

None open. Where our sources overlap, they agree on everything shown here.

Did it meet…?

?

No. Stegosaurus had gone at least 59.5 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record.

Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.

Connections

Genera linked to Tyrannosaurus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.

TyrannosaurusSame rocks, same timeSame familySame naming authorAlso found in United StatesTriceratopsRichardoestesiaSaurornitholestesParonychodonand 72 moreAlbertosaurusAlioramusAsiatyrannusBagaraatanand 7 moreOrnitholestesOviraptorPentaceratopsPsittacosaurusand 4 moreEdmontosaurusThescelosaurusTroodonPachycephalosaurusand 101 more

Same rocks, same time 76

Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.

TriceratopsRichardoestesiaSaurornitholestesParonychodonEdmontosaurusThescelosaurusCentrosaurusTroodonPachycephalosaurusDromaeosaurusCorythosaurusChirostenotesChasmosaurusOrnithomimusLambeosaurusAnkylosaurusand 60 more

Named by Osborn 8

Genera whose naming authority includes the same surname. The authority has no initials, so different people who share a surname can appear together.

AlbertosaurusOrnitholestesOviraptorPentaceratopsPsittacosaurusSaurornithoidesStruthiomimusVelociraptor

Found in United States 105

Other genera found in United States, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.

TriceratopsEdmontosaurusRichardoestesiaParonychodonThescelosaurusSaurornitholestesTroodonPachycephalosaurusAlamosaurusStegocerasOrnithomimusDromaeosaurusKritosaurusAgujaceratopsChirostenotesParasaurolophusand 89 more

Credits

Where this page comes from

  • Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
  • Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
  • WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
  • OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
  • PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
  • Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines

Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.