The Listening Room - New species of dinosaur discovered that "rewrites" T. rex family tree

Oct 30, 2025 - New species of dinosaur discovered that “rewrites” T. rex family tree

Questions

1. b

2. b(a)a(c)aa

3. were actually, were key to

Dictation

1. It’s been named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, which means dragon prince of Mongolia. And the University of Calgary(‘s) scientists (said) (the) species is a window into (how) (dinosaurs) evolved to become (a) powerful (predator) that (terrorized) (the) North America and Asia until the end of the reign of (the) dinosaurs.

   • It’s been named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, which means ‘Dragon Prince of Mongolia’, and the University of Calgary scientists say that this species is a window into how tyrannosaurus evolved to become the powerful predators that terrorised North America and Asia until the end of the reign of the dinosaurs.

2. (What) the most famous (tyrannosaurus) is (the) gaint T.rex. (Fossil) (showed) that be the earliest (animal) in (the) super (families) of (dinosaur) were actually very small.

   • While the most famous tyrannosaur is the giant T. rex, fossils show that the earliest animals in this superfamily of dinosaurs were actually very small.

3. Fleet footed hunters (that) scampered after (the) rat-sized prey.

   • Fleet-footed hunters that scampered after rat-sized prey.

4. But this newly identified (horse-size) dinosaur represents an important evolutionary shift.

   • But this newly identified horse-sized dinosaur represents an important evolutionary shift.

5. The 86-million-year-old skeleton also shows early evolutionary stages of features (that) were key to (tyrannosaurs) domination (of) apex predators, including long (high) (length) and powerful jaws.

   • The 86-million-year-old skeleton also shows early evolutionary stages of features that were key to tyrannosaur’s domination as apex predators, including long hind limbs and powerful jaws.

Vocabulary

1. a window into - makes it possible to see or understand something clearly

2. Tyrannosaurus - n. 霸王龙 a very large carnivorous dinosaur

   tyrannosaur - n. 暴龙科

3. predator - n. 捕食者 an animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals

4. reign - v. 统治 to rule

5. T. rex - a shortened name for the tyrannosaurus

6. fleet-footed - adj. 敏捷的、轻快的 fast on your feet

   fleet n. 舰队 adj. 动作迅速、敏捷的 fleet-footed/fleet of foot v. 迅速地移动

7. scamper - v. 疾走、快速奔跑（尤指害怕或兴奋时）run with quick light steps n. 疾走、快跑的行为

8. evolutionary - relates to the way living things change and develop over time

9. domination - n. 霸主地位、统治地位 power of influences over someone or something

10. apex predator - the predator at the top of the food chain

    apex - n. （某物）顶端、尖端；预购特惠 apex fares v. 达到顶点

11. hind limbs - the back legs/arms of an animal

    hind - adj. （身体）后部的 n. 雌鹿；石斑鱼

    limb - n. 四肢；天体的边缘（尤指太阳或月亮）；叶子或花瓣宽的位置；角度弧

Transcript

It’s been named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, which means ‘Dragon Prince of Mongolia’, and the University of Calgary scientists say that this species is a window into how tyrannosaurus evolved to become the powerful predators that terrorised North America and Asia until the end of the reign of the dinosaurs.

While the most famous tyrannosaur is the giant T. rex, fossils show that the earliest animals in this superfamily of dinosaurs were actually very small – fleet-footed hunters that scampered after rat-sized prey.

But this newly identified horse-sized dinosaur represents an important evolutionary shift. The 86-million-year-old skeleton also shows early evolutionary stages of features that were key to tyrannosaur’s domination as apex predators, including long hind limbs and powerful jaws.