‘Mini’ T rex found in China

A “MINI-ME” 9ft version of Tyrannosaurus rex looking almost identical to the king of the dinosaurs but 100 times lighter has been unearthed in China.

The dinosaur, named Raptorex kriegsteini, lived 125 million years ago.

Although it predated T rex by about 60 million years, the two carnivores shared the same body plan, having a large skull, tiny forearms and athletic hind legs designed for running.

The discovery suggests the specialised physical features seen in T rex did not evolve as meat-eating theropod dinosaurs grew in size, as most experts believe.

Instead they seem to have been present throughout the Cretaceous period during which the tyrannosaurs, which included T rex, ruled at the top of the food chain.

An almost complete Raptorex skeleton was removed illicitly from an area of rich fossil-bearing rocks called the Yixian Formation in Inner Mongolia, north-eastern China.

The bones were bought by a private collector, Henry Kliegstein, who turned them over to US scientists at the University of Chicago.

A team led by Dr Paul Serano examined the fossils, which included the skull, teeth, nose, spine, shoulders, forearms, pelvis and hind legs.

Their importance was revealed when it became clear this was an adult dinosaur bearing all the hallmarks of later giant tyrannosaurs but at a fraction of the size.