Cincinnati Museum Center’s (CMC) rare dinosaur skeleton is helping scientists figure out a 75-million-year-old mystery.
In its Dinosaur Hall in in the Museum of Natural History & Science, CMC houses a 30-foot fossil of a tyrannosaur Daspletosaurus, a dinosaur related to the more well-known Tyrannosaurus that lived during the Cretaceous Period. The Daspletosaurus was bipedal, around 30 feet long and weighed up to three tons. Though smaller than the Tyrannosaurus, the Daspletosaurus was still a fierce predator, its name meaning “frightful lizard,” as it chased prey on two strong hind legs.
It’s also a fairly rare fossil, and only 10 museums around the world, including CMC, have one on display. While this Daspletosaurus specimen once stalked the plains of what’s now Montana millions of years ago, it’s now helping researchers piece together a puzzle involving its evolution and the makeup of its family tree.
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Glenn Storrs, Ph.D., is a curator of vertebrate paleontology at CMC and was part of the research team that published the peer-reviewed paper on the Daspletosaurus in the journal Acta Paleontologica.
“Daspletosaurus is an impressive specimen and an absolute showstopper for anyone visiting Cincinnati Museum Center, even before they enter the building,” Storrs said in a press release. “This new research proves these dinosaurs aren’t just cool to see in the gallery, they are vital to ongoing scientific research.”
Using analysis of CMC’s Daspletosaurus skull bones, the paper challenged the dinosaur’s family tree and the existence of three distinct species — torosus, horneri and wilsoni — within the Daspletosaurus genus. Analysis suggests instead that Daspletosaurus wilsoni may not be distinct from Daspletosaurus torosus. This means Daspletosaurus horneri may have instead evolved directly from Daspletosaurus torosus, possibly making the family tree more of a straight line than branched, says the museum.
“Detailed analysis of the age and anatomy of our specimen casts doubt on the validity of one of the three known species and provides new insight into their potential relationships,” said Dr. Storrs. “Popular interest in Tyrannosaurus rex is at an all-time high and recent discoveries of new tyrannosaur species have sparked a resurgence of interest in the evolutionary history of tyrannosaurine dinosaurs. Daspletosaurus is a close cousin, if not direct ancestor, of T. rex, but is a much rarer fossil. That makes each new Daspletosaurus discovery significant.”
Paleontologists will continue to study the dinosaur’s history and evolution, with each new fossil further helping them piece together the puzzle.
The paper, “Cranial anatomy and stratigraphy of a new specimen of the tyrannosaurine dinosaur Daspletosaurus from the Judith River Formation of Central Montana, USA,” is available to read online at Acta Paleontologica Polonica.
This article appears in Apr 16-29, 2025.
