Primitive Tyrannosaur from Asia - Alioramus remotus Known only
from a few fragmentary remains, Alioramus (A. remotus) is
perhaps one of the more unusual of the Late Cretaceous
Tyrannosaurs. Palaeontologists have suggested that this dinosaur
may have been a particularly fast runner when compared to other
Tyrannosaurids of the Maastrichtian faunal stage (70-65 million
years ago). It might have specialised in hunting other types of
prey when compared to the larger and more heavily built
Tarbosaurus (T. bataar). Alioramus is known from only
fragmentary remains, discovered by a joint Soviet/Mongolian
expedition to a remote part of Mongolia in the early 1970s.
Parts of the skull including the lower jaw and a portion of the
upper jaw were discovered along with some toe bones
(metatarsals). It is believed that the fossil material
represents a sub-adult. The long snout had a series of five
small bumps running along it in a line from the nostrils, ending
just in front of the large eyes, these were possibly small horns