The tyrannosaurus rex family just got a little bit bigger after researchers in Canada made an explosive discovery of a new dinosaur species know as — wait for it! — the "Reaper of Death."
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The creature's actual scientific name is Thanatotheristes degrootorum, which breaks down as follows: "Thanatos," meaning "Greek god of death," then "theristes," or in other words "one who reaps or harvests" and finally "degrootorum," the latter part inherited from paleontology enthusiast John De Groot who actually found the dinosaur remains while hiking in southern Alberta, Canada. Officially announced by the Royal Tyrrell Museum, the "Reaper Of Death" is the oldest tyrannosaur species ever found on Canadian soil based on a report by researchers from the University of Calgary. The meat-eating predator is said to have walked the Earth roughly 79.5 million years ago, almost 2.5 million years older than its famous T-Rex cousin. Most dinosaur species found in Alberta so far, including the Daspletosaurus, Gorgosaurus, Albertosaurus and aforementioned Tyrannosaurus, date from between 77 to 66 million years old. Along with the "dome-headed" Colepiocephale and "horned" Xenoceratops, the Thanatotheristes degrootorum might just be the grandaddy of them all. Well, until the next discovery, that is.
Read the full report by clicking here, and peep a rendition of the "Reaper of Death" below:
