The forefather of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex has been discovered, scientists report.
The 160 million-year-old fossil is the oldest tyrannosaur ever found. The researchers were surprised to learn the 3m long dinosaur sported a spectacular crest on its head which may have been brightly coloured.
The discovery, unveiled in the journal Nature, might reveal how early tyrannosaurs evolved into the T. rex 100 million years later.
The new species was found in the Junggar Basin, an area rich in dinosaur fossils, in the far north-west corner of China.