Eotyrannus

dawn tyrant

• eos · Greek · dawn
• tyrannos · Greek · tyrant

The name combines the Greek words for "dawn" and "tyrant". It was chosen because Eotyrannus was an early member of the tyrannosauroid lineage, living well before Tyrannosaurus. The name marks it as an early or "dawn" relative of the tyrant dinosaurs.

Named by

Hutt et al.

Year named

2001

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stage

Barremian

Found in

Wessex Formation, Isle of Wight, England, UK

A basal tyrannosauroid theropod. The type species is Eotyrannus lengi, named after Gavin Leng, the amateur collector who found the fossils.