Newly Discovered Dinosaur Species Named Reaper Of Death
David Gelmini
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A newly discovered species of dinosaur has been given the name Reaper of Death, and with good reason. From looking at the artist’s impressions of how the creature would have looked in the gallery below, it’s easy to understand why this animal was at the top of the food chain.
Discovered in Canada, the official name of the extinct reptile is Thanatotheristes degrootorum, which translates from Greek as Reaper of Death. The apex predator roamed the plains of what we now know as Canada around eighty million years ago, and grew to eight feet in height and twenty-six feet in width. Put simply, it would truly have been a sight to behold.
A relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex, the Reaper of Death is thought to be the oldest dinosaur ever found in Canada. Like its more well-known cousin, it would have preyed upon smaller creatures which also existed at the time, with its teeth even having been compared to steak knives.
While its fossilised remains were unearthed in 2010, it wasn’t until recently when PhD student Jared Voris discovered that this was actually a new species. As reported by The Guardian, Darla Zelenitsky of the University of Calgary said the Reaper of Death name was chosen because it “embodies what this tyrannosaur was as the only known large apex predator of its time in Canada.”
As horror fans, we certainly approve of this name. Maybe we’ll even get a Jurassic Park-style horror movie featuring the Reaper of Death one day.
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