RE: First fossils of Tyrannosaurus (as Dynamosaurus) to be displayed at British Natural History Museum

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@umd.edu>]

Claims of Laramidian isolation in the Maastrichtian are STRONGLY
exaggerated. It is better to think of Laramidia as a peninsula of
Asiamerica rather than its own landmass, given the faunal similarities
between mesic communities of Asia and of Laramidia.

That said, our knowledge of latest Maastrichtian faunas of eastern Asia
are really, really less than it could be. There are some tantalizing
sites, but at present nothing which produces the quality of fossils that
the Hell Creek does.

Them's the break. Nature is not obliged to give us outcrops at the times
and places we really want to have them.

On Mon, September 2, 2013 1:02 pm, dale mcinnes wrote:
> I'm not comprehending something here. If T. rex was indeed
> isolated on Larimedia .. that would suggest no palaeogeographical
> interconnection with the Siberian land mass at all would it not??
> This would effectively end any such discussion presumably on T. rex
> hybridization.
>
> If not ..
>
> What exactly existed over there in Siberia during the late Maastrichtian
> pertaining to large tarbosaur-sized tyrants ??
>


Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
Office: Centreville 1216
Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
Fax: 301-314-9661

Faculty Director, Science & Global Change Program, College Park Scholars
http://www.geol.umd.edu/sgc
Fax: 301-314-9843

Mailing Address:        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                        Department of Geology
                        Building 237, Room 1117
                        University of Maryland
                        College Park, MD 20742 USA