Tarbosaurus

Tarbosaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Asia. The type species, Tarbosaurus bataar, is known from Mongolia's Nemegt Formation, dating to about 70 to 66 million years ago. The genus is one of the best-known tyrannosaurids from Asia and is closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex.

Discovery: Evgeny Maleev named Tarbosaurus in 1955, based on fossils collected in the Gobi Desert. Numerous specimens including skulls and partial skeletons have been described since, providing insight into variation and growth.

Description: Tarbosaurus was a large bipedal carnivore. Estimates place adults around 8 meters (26 feet) long and weighing up to 2–3 metric tons. It possessed a large skull with sharp, serrated teeth; forelimbs were relatively short with two functional fingers, a hallmark of tyrannosaurids. The hind limbs were powerful, supporting a heavy body, and the tail provided balance.

Ecology and behavior: Tarbosaurus inhabited floodplain environments with rivers and streams, coexisting with hadrosaurs, sauropods, and other theropods. As an apex predator, it likely hunted sizeable prey and scavenged; bite marks and tooth wear on fossil remains are consistent with large tyrannosaurid feeding.

Classification and significance: within Tyrannosauridae and Tyrannosaurinae; studied for comparisons with Tyrannosaurus rex, helping illuminate the evolution and biogeography of tyrannosaurids in Asia.