Fun Timurlengia Facts For Kids

Are you interested to know more about dinosaurs? If so, then you would be thrilled to know about the Timurlengia genus.

It contains the type species of Timurlengia euotica, supposed horse-size tyrannosaurs that lived around 90 million years ago.

The Timurlengia euotica bones and fossils have been discovered in the Kyzylkum desert, Uzbekistan, and it's said to have lived during the Late Cretaceous period.

One of the most interesting things about this species is that it helped to bridge the 20 million year gap between the first appearance of tyrannosaurs around 170 million years ago and the presence of the giant T-Rex.

However, the feature that we could not miss was the enhanced senses of the Timurlengia, which meant that they could hear very well and had a great sense of balance because of the inner ear design in the brain cavity.

Moreover, even though the dinosaur had a small skull, it's thought to have had a powerful brain to give it a sense of balance, especially during hunting.

The dinosaur was named after Timurleng, a Central Asian ruler. The Timurlengia marks an important step in the evolutionary history of the tyrannosaur, and it's a fairly new species found only in 2016.

Interestingly, studying the fossil specimens of the Timurlengia euotica led scientists to understand the evolution of tyrannosaur and other related tyrannosaur species becoming top predators, as detailed in a study that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

So, keep reading to know more Timurlengia facts.

Also, check out our articles on Puertasaurus and Metriorhynchus to know about new dinosaurs.

Timurlengia Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Timurlengia'?

The Timurlengia pronunciation is 'Tim-ur-len-ge-ah'. This name is derived from Timurleng, who was a Central Asian ruler in present-day Uzbekistan.

In order to pronounce Timurlengia euotica, you say 'tim-ur-len-ge-ah e-u-tica'! Moreover, the specific name of the species, Timurlengia euotica, means well eared because of its enhanced senses of balance and hearing due to the shape of the ear structure located in the brain cavity.

What type of dinosaur was a Timurlengia?

The Timurlengia is thought to be an early predecessor of the T-Rex, but the former hasn't evolved into the latter species. Rather, the study of the Timurlengia provides a clue to how the apex predators of the tyrannosaurus group had their evolution.

So, both species can be taken as relatives. Currently, the Timurlengia dinosaur is classified as a theropod dinosaur from the tyrannosaurid group, according to the latest news from the science community.

In which geological period did the Timurlengia roam the earth?

The Timurlengia is said to have existed on this earth around 90 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. It was most likely present in the middle of the Turonian age when the Bissekty Formation can into being.

When did the Timurlengia become extinct?

Even though we don't have an exact date for it, the Timurlengia can be said to have gone extinct as the Turonian age of the Late Cretaceous period came to an end.

Where did a Timurlengia live?

The fossils of Timurlengia were found in what now is modern-day Uzbekistan. These remains were retrieved from the Bissekty Formation, present in the Kyzylkum desert. The formation is dated to have been formed between 90-92 million years ago.

What was a Timurlengia's habitat?

We don't really know how the habitat of these early predecessors related to the T-Rex might have been. But, seeing the evolution of carnivorous creatures, we can guess that it would have preferred terrestrial habitat that had an abundance of its prey. Having said that, you need to understand that these tyrannosaurs were much smaller than the T-Rex.

Who did a Timurlengia live with?

It's a hard question to answer when it comes to finding out about who a dinosaur might have lived with. Moreover, the social habit of dinosaurs is yet to be discovered. So, we cannot tell you if the dinosaur Timurlengia lived a solitary life or preferred to be with a family.

How long did a Timurlengia live?

Even though we don't know about the exact lifespan of this early species, related tyrannosaurs, in general, were said to have an average lifespan of 30 years.

How did they reproduce?

Like any other dinosaur species, the Timurlengia euotica would have also reproduced by laying eggs. However, even though some eggs of other dinosaur species have been discovered, we are still far away from learning the reproductive habits of most dinosaurs.

Timurlengia Fun Facts

What did a Timurlengia look like?

Whenever we think of Tyrannosaurs, the T-Rex invariably comes to our mind. However, even though these species were relatives with a long gap between them, the Timurlengia euotica has more subdued features.

It has been described to have a horse-sized body with a relatively small skull. However, it did possess sharp, blade-like teeth to feed on meat. The visual representation of these Tyrannosaurs also shows strong hindlimbs that helped them to travel on land, along with small forelimbs and a medium-sized tail.

*We've been unable to source an image of Timurlengia and have used an image of a Edmontonia dinosaur instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Timurlengia, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.

How many bones did a Timurlengia have?

Even though a lot of bones and fossils have been unearthed for the Timurlengia euotica, unfortunately, it isn't enough to assign it with an exact bone number. Moreover, it has been said that the fossil remains come from different individuals rather than a single dinosaur.

However, the discovery of its skull plays an important role in bridging the 20 million year gap between the earliest tyrannosaurs and the giant T-Rex.

The skull or braincase has been given the holotype ZIN PH 1146/16. While the others include everything from different parts of the vertebra, teeth, and even portions of its limbs.

How did they communicate?

One of the features we know about this new tyrannosaur-related species is that it had a special inner ear canal that could have helped it to hear better.

How big was a Timurlengia?

The most interesting thing about this new Tyrannosaur species is that it has been described as horse-sized. The average Timurlengia size is said to be around 10–13 ft (3-4 m).

However, a new study shows that the Timurlengia eutoica bones come from a subadult, so the fully-grown dinosaurs may have been even bigger. Compared to these tyrannosaurs, the T-Rex had an average size of 12.1-20 ft (3.6-6 m).

How fast could a Timurlengia move?

We don't know how fast these Tyrannosaurs moved. But, the Tyrannosaurus Rex is said to have had a speed of around 16.7 mph (26.8 kph).

How much did a Timurlengia weigh?

The average weight of these horse-sized Tyrannosaurs is said to have been around 370–600 lb (167.8-272 kg). However, it is believed that the fossil remains of this species mainly come from a subadult. Hence, the fully-grown dinosaur might have carried more weight.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no separate names for the male and female of these species.

What would you call a baby Timurlengia?

A baby Timurlengia would have been called a hatchling.

What did they eat?

Well, we aren't really sure what the diet of a Timurlengia may have looked like. However, as it was a carnivorous species, the tyrannosaurs may have sustained on a diet of reptiles and malls found in that era.

Even though this dinosaur had a much smaller size, it still had sharp blade-like teeth needed to tear through the meat easily. Moreover, the enhanced Timurlengia hearing range gave it evolved senses that allowed it to hunt more efficiently.

How aggressive were they?

We can assume that the Timurlengia was far less aggressive than the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Did you know...

Stephen Brusatte was the one to realize, looking at the Timurlengia euotica fossil, that the braincase held a special evolutionary mark for a tyrannosaur. And, in 2016, he and his colleagues published a paper defining the genus and the new species.

What's special about a Timurlengia's hearing?

One of the reasons scientists are interested in the evolutionary history of the Timurlengia genus is because of the enhanced hearing that it must have had.

A braincase was found in the Russian Academy of Sciences, which formed the basis of Timurlengia's discovery, and it showed enhanced inner ear canals that gave this species the ability to hear low-frequency sounds. As you might have guessed, this would have been a plus point for any predator to trace its prey.

This braincase that defined the Timurlengia hearing was given the holotype of ZIN PH 1146/16.

How long ago did the Timurlengia euotica live?

The Timurlengia euotica is said to have lived around 90 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period.

The discovery of these tyrannosaurs has bridged the 20 million year gap that existed in knowing how the tyrannosaurs that existed 170 million years ago finally evolved into a large dinosaur, like the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

One of the main differences between Timurlengia vs. T-Rex is that the latter species was much bigger and had features to kill its prey immediately.

While the Timurlengia was supposed to be horse-sized, but it did have sharp blade-like teeth to gnaw through the meat.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Homalocephale facts, or Ludodactylus facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable dinosaur birthday coloring pages.

Main image by FunkMonk (Michael B. H.).