Gorgosaurus libratus juvenile from British Columbia
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Ben Creisler
Jun 21, 2026, 11:31:59 AM (5 days ago) Jun 21
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Ben Creisler
I was going to post this from yesterday, but ran out of time last night. Looks like I got scooped this morning.
Highlights
A natural mold of a partial Gorgosaurus libratus skull was recovered from the Wapiti Formation of northeastern British Columbia, Canada.
Represents the first identified tyrannosaurid from British Columbia, Canada.
Supports a broad biogeographic distribution of this taxon across Alberta, northeastern British Columbia, and northern Montana throughout a relatively consistent palaeoenvironment.
Provides evidence for spatial partitioning among contemporaneous Campanian tyrannosaurids.
Abstract
Tyrannosaurid dinosaurs are well represented throughout Campanian-aged rocks of southern Alberta. However, little is known about the taxonomic diversity of the clade at latitudes north of this region. A natural mold of a partial tyrannosaurid rostrum (TMRF 2017.01.01) was collected from the Wapiti Formation of the Tumbler Ridge region in British Columbia, Canada. It includes a complete right maxilla, and parts of the right lacrimal and jugal from a juvenile individual. Although the precise stratigraphic position remains uncertain due to the proximity of an orogenic belt, preliminary stratigraphic interpretations indicate that the specimen is from the Upper Campanian section of the Wapiti Formation. The well-preserved natural mold provided an opportunity to produce a highly detailed cast (UALVP 63805) that preserves minute features of the original specimen and permits taxonomic identification. The combination of cranial characteristics present in the specimen supports a referral to Gorgosaurus libratus. The preserved region of the maxilla indicates the presence of incisiform teeth occupying alveoli one and two. While immature specimens of Gorgosaurus from the Dinosaur Park Formation share this anatomy, mature specimens possess a single incisiform tooth in the first alveolus, suggesting an ontogenetic shift in feeding behavior. Although limited, the cranial material indicates little variation in morphology across the extensive biogeographic distribution of contemporaneous specimens of Gorgosaurus, which now spans from northern Montana to northeastern British Columbia. The convex hull formed by occurrences of Gorgosaurus generates in a minimum geographic range of approximately 198,000 km2. Geographic ranges of extant terrestrial apex predators are much larger, indicting either the distribution of Gorgosaurus was controlled by factors not present today, its range is greatly underestimated, or a combination of both. This novel occurrence, together with additional occurrence data for Gorgosaurus and the contemporaneous tyrannosaurine Daspletosaurus, supports previous hypotheses regarding spatially disparate distributions of Laramidian tyrannosaurid taxa. These patterns elucidate the complex ecological interactions of tyrannosaurid taxa and the faunal diversity throughout Campanian ecosystems.
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Colton C. Coppock, Hans C. E. Larsson & Philip J. Currie (2026)
A juvenile specimen of Gorgosaurus libratus from the Wapiti Formation of northeastern British Columbia, Canada sheds light on the palaeoecology of Upper Campanian tyrannosaurids
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 114007
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.114007
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018226004700
Colton C. Coppock, Hans C. E. Larsson & Philip J. Currie (2026)
A juvenile specimen of Gorgosaurus libratus from the Wapiti Formation of northeastern British Columbia, Canada sheds light on the palaeoecology of Upper Campanian tyrannosaurids
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 114007
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.114007
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018226004700
Highlights
A natural mold of a partial Gorgosaurus libratus skull was recovered from the Wapiti Formation of northeastern British Columbia, Canada.
Represents the first identified tyrannosaurid from British Columbia, Canada.
Supports a broad biogeographic distribution of this taxon across Alberta, northeastern British Columbia, and northern Montana throughout a relatively consistent palaeoenvironment.
Provides evidence for spatial partitioning among contemporaneous Campanian tyrannosaurids.
Abstract
Tyrannosaurid dinosaurs are well represented throughout Campanian-aged rocks of southern Alberta. However, little is known about the taxonomic diversity of the clade at latitudes north of this region. A natural mold of a partial tyrannosaurid rostrum (TMRF 2017.01.01) was collected from the Wapiti Formation of the Tumbler Ridge region in British Columbia, Canada. It includes a complete right maxilla, and parts of the right lacrimal and jugal from a juvenile individual. Although the precise stratigraphic position remains uncertain due to the proximity of an orogenic belt, preliminary stratigraphic interpretations indicate that the specimen is from the Upper Campanian section of the Wapiti Formation. The well-preserved natural mold provided an opportunity to produce a highly detailed cast (UALVP 63805) that preserves minute features of the original specimen and permits taxonomic identification. The combination of cranial characteristics present in the specimen supports a referral to Gorgosaurus libratus. The preserved region of the maxilla indicates the presence of incisiform teeth occupying alveoli one and two. While immature specimens of Gorgosaurus from the Dinosaur Park Formation share this anatomy, mature specimens possess a single incisiform tooth in the first alveolus, suggesting an ontogenetic shift in feeding behavior. Although limited, the cranial material indicates little variation in morphology across the extensive biogeographic distribution of contemporaneous specimens of Gorgosaurus, which now spans from northern Montana to northeastern British Columbia. The convex hull formed by occurrences of Gorgosaurus generates in a minimum geographic range of approximately 198,000 km2. Geographic ranges of extant terrestrial apex predators are much larger, indicting either the distribution of Gorgosaurus was controlled by factors not present today, its range is greatly underestimated, or a combination of both. This novel occurrence, together with additional occurrence data for Gorgosaurus and the contemporaneous tyrannosaurine Daspletosaurus, supports previous hypotheses regarding spatially disparate distributions of Laramidian tyrannosaurid taxa. These patterns elucidate the complex ecological interactions of tyrannosaurid taxa and the faunal diversity throughout Campanian ecosystems.
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