Albertosaurs, "Lizard from Alberta"

Albertosaurus was first discovered in 1884 by paleontologist Joseph Burr Tyrrell near Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. It was described and named in 1884 by Henry Fairfield Osborn, director of the American Museum of Natural History in 1905. Because the dinosaur was found in Alberta, Osborn named it Albertosaurus, the "lizard from Alberta."

Albertosaurus is a member of the Family Tyrannosauroidea, named for its most famous member, Tyrannosaurus rex. This family also includes Daspletosaurus, Gorgosaurus (later determined to be a juvenile Albertosaurus) and Tarbosaurus. They were all carnivorous (meat-eating) theropod dinosaurs.

Albertosaurus lived during the late Cretaceous Period (140 to 65 million years ago). It actually lived a few million years before its more famous cousin, Tyrannosaurus.

Like Tyrannosaurus, Albertosaurus had only two fingers on its manus (hand). Although Albertosaurus was smaller than Tyrannosaurus, it was still 24 feet (eight meters) in length and weighed over 4,000 pounds (two tonnes). Albertosaurus could probably reach top speeds of 40 miles per hour (67 kph). Its teeth were long with serrated edges, perfect for ripping out large chunks of flesh and swallowing them whole. Although Albertosaurus and the other Tyrannosauroidea have traditionally been seen as hunters, it is quite possible that they may have fed on animals that were already dead, the same way that modern predators will scavenge already-dead carcasses.

Paleontologist Philip Currie at the Royal Tyrrell Museum (named in honor of Joseph Tyrrell) in Drumheller, Alberta, found the skeletons of nine Albertosauruses in one area. This led him to believe that Albertosaurus might have travelled and hunted in a pack, the way that many modern predators do.

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