Abstract The evolutionary history of theropod dinosaurs has long been framed through the lens of the Northern Hemisphere’s tyrannosaurids, whose massive, bone-crushing skulls represent a pinnacle of predatory adaptation. In contrast, the ceratosaurs of the Southern Hemisphere—specifically the Abelisauridae and Noasauridae—were historically characterized as "archaic" or functionally inferior remnants. However, the 2026 study Southern hemisphere ceratosaurs evolved feeding mech

1. Introduction: The Evolution of T. rex, as an Paleontological Icon In the pantheon of extinct organisms, Tyrannosaurus rex  occupies a singular position. Since its initial description by Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1905, based on fossils recovered from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, this theropod has served as the de facto ambassador of the Dinosauria. 1  For over a century, the scientific understanding of T. rex  has undergone radical transformations that mirror the br

1. Introduction: The Elusive Dimension of Deep Time 1.1 The Temporal Imperative in Paleontology In the reconstruction of Earth’s biological history, time is the master variable. The fossil record, for all its morphological splendor, is essentially a static archive—a collection of biological snapshots frozen in stone. To transform these snapshots into a motion picture of evolution, extinction, and ecological succession, paleontologists must place them within a rigid chronologi

1. Introduction: The Paradigm Shift in Paleontological Prospecting The history of vertebrate paleontology is, in many respects, a history of serendipity. Since the "Great Dinosaur Rush" of the late 19th century, the discovery of significant fossil material—particularly in the expansive, eroded badlands of North America—has relied fundamentally on the physical endurance and visual acuity of human surveyors. This traditional methodology, often romanticized in popular media, inv