Did you know that in all the time I’ve been posting paleoart here, I’ve never actually done a proper full illustration of the most popular name in all of paleontology?
I think it’s finally time to fix this glaring oversight.
It’s time for T. rex.
…Tyrannasorus rex, the extinct beetle!
April Fools!
This was actually a completely real beetle species that lived in the Dominican Republic during the Miocene, around 15-20 million years ago. Known from a single female specimen preserved in amber, it was about 6mm long (~0.25″) and reddish-brown in color.
Its most distinctive feature compared to other hybosorid beetles from the same region is the shape of its antennae, which had one less segment than usual.
And, of course, it was named in deliberate reference to the other much more famous T. rex.