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Description

The setting is the Waheap Formation, part of the Grand Staircase that includes parts of Utah and Northern Arizona near Lake Powell. In the mid Cretaceous this was a lush land. Uplands and forests gave way to broad flood plains or marshes and swamps as numerous rivers flowed through the western shore and into the Western Interior Seaway that divided North America in half.

Notable denizens of this time include the earliest known Tyrannosaurine Lythronax, the earliest known Centrosaurine, Diabloceratops and an early Hadrosaur related to the later Maiasaurus called Acristavus.

Lythronax was small for a Tyrannosaur at about 25 feet long. It had the typical tiny forearms and other common shapes for the legs and body. The head was deep and much like T Rex, but the snout was shorter, relative to body size, compared to other Tyrannosaurs. It is thought that Tyrannosaurs of the south west evolved on their own and did not migrate out of the area due to the mountains and the seaway keeping them from reaching regions that Gorgosaurus, Daspletosaurs and eventually T. Rex dominated. Lythronax was probably not a direct ancestor to T. Rex.

Diabloceratops was a medium sized ceratopsian about 18 feet long and is easily identified by 2 long horns or spikes that rise vertically off of its frill as well as two shorter horns that rose above the eyes. Like other ceratopsians it was a plant eater.

The Hadrosaur, Acristavus, had no known skull crests like Lambeosaurs, but was more like Maiasaurus and Edmontosaurus. However as there is no fossils as of yet with skin or soft tissue impressions it does not rule out that it might have had fleshy crest or “chicken comb” like it was recently discovered that existed on the head of Edmontosaurus. Acristavus was a plant eater and grew up to 38 feet long. Lythronax would have likely avoided the full grown adults, but may have preyed on sub adults, juveniles and likely Diabloceratops.

Description

The setting is the Waheap Formation, part of the Grand Staircase that includes parts of Utah and Northern Arizona near Lake Powell. In the mid Cretaceous this was a lush land. Uplands and forests gave way to broad flood plains or marshes and swamps as numerous rivers flowed through the western shore and into the Western Interior Seaway that divided North America in half.

Notable denizens of this time include the earliest known Tyrannosaurine Lythronax, the earliest known Centrosaurine, Diabloceratops and an early Hadrosaur related to the later Maiasaurus called Acristavus.

Lythronax was small for a Tyrannosaur at about 25 feet long. It had the typical tiny forearms and other common shapes for the legs and body. The head was deep and much like T Rex, but the snout was shorter, relative to body size, compared to other Tyrannosaurs. It is thought that Tyrannosaurs of the south west evolved on their own and did not migrate out of the area due to the mountains and the seaway keeping them from reaching regions that Gorgosaurus, Daspletosaurs and eventually T. Rex dominated. Lythronax was probably not a direct ancestor to T. Rex.

Diabloceratops was a medium sized ceratopsian about 18 feet long and is easily identified by 2 long horns or spikes that rise vertically off of its frill as well as two shorter horns that rose above the eyes. Like other ceratopsians it was a plant eater.

The Hadrosaur, Acristavus, had no known skull crests like Lambeosaurs, but was more like Maiasaurus and Edmontosaurus. However as there is no fossils as of yet with skin or soft tissue impressions it does not rule out that it might have had fleshy crest or “chicken comb” like it was recently discovered that existed on the head of Edmontosaurus. Acristavus was a plant eater and grew up to 38 feet long. Lythronax would have likely avoided the full grown adults, but may have preyed on sub adults, juveniles and likely Diabloceratops.