Zhuchengtyrannus

Zhuchengtyrannus (meaning "Zhucheng tyrant") was a genus of tyrannosaurids that lived in the Late Cretaceous of Shandong, China. Its only species is Zhuchengtyrannus magnus.

Zhuchengtyrannus, a large theropod, is estimated to be comparable in size to both Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.^[1]

The size of Zhuchengtyrannus is estimates in 10 and 11 meters (33 to 36 ft) in lenght, with a weight of 4.1 and 5 metric tons (5.9-6 shorts tons).^[2] A specimen recently discovered in 2025, containing a vertebra that appears to belong to Z. magnus, is comparable in size to large Tyrannosaurus rex specimens. It is estimated to have measured 12 meters (39 ft) and weighed 8 tonnes (8.5 short tons).

Zhuchengtyrannus is often depicted in life as resembling its close relatives, such as the Asian Tarbosaurus and the North American T. rex.^[1][3]

The firts fossil of Zhuchengtyrannus was been found in China, in Zhucheng Formation. He was named firts as a species of Tyrannosaurus genus, like Tyrannosaurus zhuchengensis.^[1]

In 2010, the same discoverer renamed it Tarbosaurus zhuchengensis, considering it a second species within the same genus. However, that same year, it was reclassified as a species belonging to a new genus, and thus Zhuchengtyrannus magnus was born.^[3]

He is believed to belong to the family Tyrannosauridae, belonging to the tribe Tyranosaurini, which includes T. rex itself and its closest relatives.^[1]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} "A new, large tyrannosaurine theropod from the Upper Cretaceous of China, ui.adsabs.harvard.edu".
2. ↑ Campione, Nicolás E.; Evans, David C. (2020). "The accuracy and precision of body mass estimation in non-avian dinosaurs". Biological Reviews. 95 (6): 1759–1797. doi:10.1111/brv.12638. ISSN 1469-185X.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "So just how big was Zhuchengtyrannus?". Dave Hone's Archosaur Musings. 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2025-08-16.