The Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the most fearsome predators. Everyone knows what a T-rex is. I think? Anyways scientists have wondered why its ancestors remained relatively small for millions of years. Now, the discovery of a new meat eater may offer some answers. This newfound predator may have preyed on T. rex’s ancestors. That should have kept them small and on the run. Scientists call the new dino Siats meekerorum. Like the T-rex, Siats walked on two legs, but Siats was an Allosaurs. S. meekerorum ruled what is now western North America about 98.5 million years ago. Some predator usually dominates every ecosystem. Such an apex, or top predator usually is so tough that no other creature attempts to tackle it. And as long as the top predator remains healthy, no other creature will prey on it. (Think of an apex predator as the schoolyard’s biggest, meanest bully.)Zanno and her team estimate that Siats weighed more than 3,900 kilograms (8,600 pounds). Most of the fossil remains they found came from an individual that likely measured more than 9 meters (about 30 feet) long. But it also was only a juvenile when it died. Its towering size makes Siats the third-largest known predator to ever prowl western North America.
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