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How evolutionary changes in body size are brought about by variance in developmental timing and/or growth rates (also known as heterochrony) is a topic of considerable interest in evolutionary biology. In particular, extreme size change leading to gigantism occurred within the dinosaurs on multiple occasions. Whether this change was brought about by accelerated growth, delayed maturity or a combination of both processes is unknown. A better understanding of relationships between non-avian dinosaur groups and the newfound capacity to reconstruct their growth curves make it possible to address these questions quantitatively. Here we study growth patterns within the Tyrannosauridae, the best known group of large carnivorous dinosaurs, and determine the developmental means by which Tyrannosaurus rex, weighing 5,000 kg and more, grew to be one of the most enormous terrestrial carnivorous animals ever. T. rex had a maximal growth rate of 2.1 kg d(-1), reached skeletal maturity in two decades and lived for up to 28 years. T. rex's great stature was primarily attained by accelerating growth rates beyond that of its closest relatives.

Cryolophosaurus ellioti Hammer and Hickerson, 1994, from the Early Jurassic Hanson Formation of the Central Transantarctic Mountains, represents a theropod dinosaur from a period of time and geographical area that are poorly sampled with respect to dinosaur taxa. An in-depth morphological description of Cryolophosaurus is presented here, along with a rigorous phylogenetic analysis of theropod relationships consisting of 347 characters and 56 taxa, in an attempt to clarify the relationships of Cryolophosaurus and to provide insight into questions surrounding early theropod evolution. Cryolophosaurus is characterized by a unique cranial crest, formed primarily by the lacrimals, a pronounced constriction of the squamosal and jugal bones across the infratemporal fenestra, and extremely elongate cranial processes on the cervical ribs. Several shared characters, including the presence of a slotshaped foramen at the base of the nasal process of the premaxilla, nasolacrimal crests and erect tab-like dorsal processes on the articular, suggest affinities between Cryolophosaurus and a clade of medium-bodied Early Jurassic theropods that includes ' Dilophosaurus ' sinensis , Dracovenator regenti and Dilophosaurus wetherilli . This clade is recovered as sister-taxon to a Neoceratosauria + Tetanurae clade, rendering both a traditional Coelophysoidea and Ceratosauria non-monophyletic. Cryolophosaurus represents the largest known Early Jurassic theropod, and marks the beginning of theropod occupation of the dominant predator niche in the Mesozoic.

Tyrannosaurs, the group of dinosaurian carnivores that includes Tyrannosaurus rex and its closest relatives, are icons of prehistory. They are also the most intensively studied extinct dinosaurs, and thanks to large sample sizes and an influx of new discoveries, have become ancient exemplar organisms used to study many themes in vertebrate paleontology. A phylogeny that includes recently described species shows that tyrannosaurs originated by the Middle Jurassic but remained mostly small and ecologically marginal until the latest Cretaceous. Anatomical, biomechanical, and histological studies of T. rex and other derived tyrannosaurs show that large tyrannosaurs could not run rapidly, were capable of crushing bite forces, had accelerated growth rates and keen senses, and underwent pronounced changes during ontogeny. The biology and evolutionary history of tyrannosaurs provide a foundation for comparison with other dinosaurs and living organisms.

Troodontid dinosaurs form one of the most avian-like dinosaur groups. Their phylogenetic position is hotly debated, and they have been allied with almost all principal coelurosaurian lineages. Here we report a basal troodontid dinosaur, Sinovenator changii gen. et sp. nov., from the lower Yixian Formation of China. This taxon has several features that are not found in more derived troodontids, but that occur in dromaeosaurids and avialans. The discovery of Sinovenator and the examination of character distributions along the maniraptoran lineage indicate that principal structural modifications toward avians were acquired in the early stages of maniraptoran evolution.

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