Dynamoterror dynastes we hardly knew ya!

Dynamoterror dynastes is a tyrannosaurid named in 2018 by McDonald et al. from fragmentary remains excavated in the Late Cretaceous Menefee Formation of New Mexico.  A fantastic name that means "powerful terror ruler" and pays homage to Dynamosaurus, an early name given to Tyrannosaurus material that was later synonymized with T. rex.  Like Dynamosaurus, Dynamoterror has recently been suggested to be a nomen dubium, or "dubious name," as the features McDonald et al. 2018 used to make Dynamoterror a new dinosaur are, according to Yun 2020 actually not unique to it and, in some cases, the bones are too fragmentary to positively demonstrate the features truly exist.  Thus Yun proposed the name be removed from the paleontological record (making it not useable again by the rules that govern how the naming of animals by scientists) unless new finds are made that can clarify the specific skeletal features initially proclaimed, or provide new characters to use instead.

Though the name goes away, it doesn't remove the fact that a tyrannosaurid lived in the Late Cretaceous of New Mexico.  It is really awesome when one thinks about a massive tyrannosaurid cruising what is now the high desert.  But it does, at least for now, remove one of the more interesting dinosaur names from the repertoire of identifiable dinosaurs.

Dynamoterror, we hardly knew ya!  Fossil Crates does, however, offer casts of amazing Tyrannosaurus teeth and claws that you can check out here and a neat laser-scanned skull here.

BC