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Large tyrannosaur with tiny arms and patterned skin walking in side view
Life restoration of the tyrannosaurid Tarbosaurus bataar.Image credit: Sauroarchive, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 4.0Source (opens in a new tab)

Tarbosaurus bataar

Pronounced TAR-boh-SORE-us bah-TAR

Coelurosauria · Tyrannosauridae

The Asian cousin of T. rex: a large tyrannosaurid from the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia, with a narrower skull, a lower-jaw locking joint and the smallest arms of its family relative to its size.

  • Bipedal
  • Giant
  • Apex predator
  • Skin impressions known
Compare
Period
Cretaceous· Maastrichtian
Diet
Carnivore
Length
10–12 m
Mass
4,500–5,000 kg
Location
Ömnögovi Province, Mongolia, Asia

Quick answers

How big was Tarbosaurus bataar?
Tarbosaurus bataar was about 10–12 m long. It stood about 2.6–3 m tall at the hips. It weighed about 4.5–5 t. (Wikipedia: Tarbosaurus 2026; Currie 2003)
When did Tarbosaurus bataar live?
Tarbosaurus bataar lived during the Late Cretaceous, about 72.1–66 million years ago. (Paleobiology Database: Tarbosaurus occurrences 2026; Hurum & Sabath 2003)
Where have Tarbosaurus bataar fossils been found?
Fossils of Tarbosaurus bataar have been found in Nemegt Formation (Ömnögovi Province) and Mongolia. (Maleev 1955; Hurum & Sabath 2003)
What did Tarbosaurus bataar eat?
Tarbosaurus bataar was a carnivore. (Maleev 1955; Hurum & Sabath 2003)
Who named Tarbosaurus bataar, and when?
Tarbosaurus bataar was described by Evgeny A. Maleev in 1955. (Maleev 1955; Hurum & Sabath 2003)

On this page

TAR-boh-SORE-us bah-TAR

Period
Cretaceous72.1–66 Ma
Diet
Carnivore
Length
10–12 m
Mass
4.5–5 t
Location
Mongolia, Asia
Classification
Coelurosauria · Tyrannosauridae
Described
1955, Evgeny A. Maleev

Overview

Tarbosaurus bataar lived in what is now the Gobi Desert of Mongolia in the Late Cretaceous, among rivers and floodplains of the Nemegt Formation. Soviet-Mongolian expeditions of 1946-1949 found several tyrannosaurid skeletons in the Nemegt Basin, and Evgeny Maleev named the first one Tyrannosaurus bataar in 1955 (holotype PIN 551-1).

Maleev named several species from these skeletons; in 1965 Anatoly Rozhdestvensky merged them all into Tarbosaurus bataar. It is one of the best-known tyrannosaurids, with dozens of specimens from juveniles to adults.

Hurum and Sabath (2003) compared its skull with that of Tyrannosaurus: it is narrower, especially at the snout, and has a locking joint between two bones of the lower jaw. They proposed that Asian and North American tyrannosaurines form separate branches. A juvenile skull described in 2011 suggests that young and adult Tarbosaurus hunted different prey.

Name meaning

"Alarming lizard", from Greek tarbos ("terror, alarm") and sauros ("lizard"); bataar, from Mongolian baatar ("hero") (Maleev 1955).

Biology & evidence

What scientists think about how this animal lived, and how strong the evidence for each idea is.

Biomechanics

  • Tarbosaurus had a locking joint in its lower jaw that T. rex lacked.

    Evidence level: Strong evidence

    A ridge on one lower-jaw bone fits notches on the next, stiffening the jaw. It is linked to a different way of handling a crushing bite.

    Evidence for / against · 1
    Evidence for

    • Comparative anatomy · Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus skull comparison

      Bone-by-bone comparison: a narrower skull and snout, a domed nasal less attached to other bones, and a dentary-angular interlock in the lower jaw.

      Specimen: PIN 551-1

Other

  • Asian and North American giant tyrannosaurs form separate branches.

    Evidence level: Hypothesis

    Hurum and Sabath proposed that Tarbosaurus groups with Alioramus in Asia, apart from Daspletosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. Other analyses place Tarbosaurus as the closest relative of T. rex.

    Evidence for / against · 1
    Evidence for

    • Comparative anatomy · Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus skull comparison

      Bone-by-bone comparison: a narrower skull and snout, a domed nasal less attached to other bones, and a dentary-angular interlock in the lower jaw.

      Specimen: PIN 551-1

Size

Length
10–12 m

(39.4 ft)

Based on PIN 551-1 (about 10 m)

Height
2.8 mpublished range 2.6–3 m

(9.2 ft)

Based on large adults (femur c. 1.1-1.2 m)

Mass
4,500–5,000 kg

Based on PIN 551-1

Tarbosaurus bataar was about 12 m (39.4 ft) long, roughly 6.7 times the height of a 1.8 m adult human.

Timeline

Lived from about 72.1 to 66 million years ago (Ma), within the Mesozoic era (252–66 Ma).

Periods: Maastrichtian (72.1–66 Ma), Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma)

Maastrichtian bounds of the type collection in PBDB. Hurum & Sabath give the Nemegt Formation as "?late Campanian/early Maastrichtian".

Location

Formations

Map data: Natural Earth (public domain). Modern positions, not where the continents were then.

These are the places where fossils have been found, not the full area where the animal lived.

Ecosystem

Restoration of Saichania and Tarbosaurus in the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia.Image credit: ABelov2014, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 3.0Source (opens in a new tab)

Lived in: Nemegt

72–68 million years ago · river system, floodplain, forest, swamp / wetland

Wetter than the Djadokhta dunes before it: braided rivers, channels and floodplain forests in the Late Cretaceous Gobi, supporting large herbivores and the tyrannosaurid Tarbosaurus.

Same ecosystem

Therizinosaurus cheloniformis

Cretaceous· MaastrichtianHerbivore

Same ecosystem

Deinocheirus mirificus

Cretaceous· MaastrichtianOmnivore

Same ecosystem

Gallimimus bullatus

Cretaceous· MaastrichtianOmnivore

Classification

  1. cladeDinosauria
  2. cladeSaurischia
  3. cladeTheropoda
  4. cladeCoelurosauria
  5. superfamilyTyrannosauroidea
  6. familyTyrannosauridae
  7. subfamilyTyrannosaurinae
  8. genusTarbosaurus
  9. speciesTarbosaurus bataar

Taxonomic status: Valid

Fossil record

Tarbosaurus bataar skeleton at the Museum of Evolution in Warsaw.Image credit: Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, via Wikimedia Commons (unmodified except resizing), Museum of Evolution, WarsawCC BY-SA 3.0 (unmodified)Source (opens in a new tab)
Specimens
Catalog numberStatusInstitutionFound
PIN 551-1HolotypeBorissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (PIN)—
PIN 551-2ParatypeBorissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (PIN)—

What has been found

Holotype: PIN 551-1

  • Preserved
  • Partial
  • Reconstructed
  • Unknown / not recorded
Region by region (table)
Skeleton regions of Holotype: PIN 551-1
RegionState
SkullPreserved
MandibleUnknown / not recorded
TeethUnknown / not recorded
Cervical vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
Dorsal vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
SacrumUnknown / not recorded
Caudal vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
RibsUnknown / not recorded
GastraliaUnknown / not recorded
Scapula / shoulder girdleUnknown / not recorded
HumerusUnknown / not recorded
Forearm (radius / ulna)Unknown / not recorded
Hand (manus)Unknown / not recorded
PelvisUnknown / not recorded
FemurUnknown / not recorded
Tibia / fibulaUnknown / not recorded
Foot (pes)Unknown / not recorded
Skull of Tarbosaurus bataar MPC-D 100/60.Image credit: Jordi Payà Canals, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (unmodified except resizing)CC BY-SA 2.0 (unmodified)Source (opens in a new tab)

All specimens

Discovery

Year described
1955
Described by
Evgeny A. Maleev
Type specimen
PIN 551-1

Discovery timeline

  1. 1946 · First material found

    Soviet-Mongolian expeditions find tyrannosaurids in the Nemegt Basin

    Expeditions of 1946-1949 collect several large tyrannosaurid skeletons.

  2. 1955 · Formally described

    Maleev names Tyrannosaurus bataar

    Maleev names the species, then several other Gobi tyrannosaurid species.

    People: Evgeny Maleev

  3. 2003 · Major study

    Hurum and Sabath compare Tarbosaurus and T. rex skulls

    A bone-by-bone comparison of the two giant tyrannosaurs.

    People: Jørn H. Hurum, Karol Sabath

Sources

  1. (2026). Paleobiology Database: Tarbosaurus occurrences. The Paleobiology Database (paleobiodb.org), data service 1.2, accessed 2026-09-23. https://paleobiodb.org/data1.2/occs/list.txt?base_name=Tarbosaurus&show=coords,paleoloc,strat,loc,ref&pgm=gplates (opens in a new tab)
  2. (2026). Wikipedia: Tarbosaurus. Wikipedia (English), accessed 2026-09-23. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarbosaurus (opens in a new tab)
  3. Cohen, K. M., Harper, D. A. T., Gibbard, P. L. & Car, N. (2023). International Chronostratigraphic Chart (v2023/09). International Commission on Stratigraphy. https://stratigraphy.org/ICSchart/ChronostratChart2023-09.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  4. Currie, P. J. (2003). Allometric growth in tyrannosaurids (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of North America and Asia. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 40: 651-665. doi:10.1139/e02-083 (opens in a new tab)
  5. Hurum, J. H. & Sabath, K. (2003). Giant theropod dinosaurs from Asia and North America: skulls of Tarbosaurus bataar and Tyrannosaurus rex compared. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 48(2): 161-190. https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app48/app48-161.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  6. Maleev, E. A. (1955). Giant carnivorous dinosaurs of Mongolia. Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR 104(4): 634-637 (in Russian).
  7. Paul, G. S. (2016). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (2nd edition). Princeton University Press.
  8. Tsuihiji, T., Watabe, M., Tsogtbaatar, K., Tsubamoto, T., Barsbold, R., Suzuki, S., Lee, A. H., Ridgely, R. C., Kawahara, Y. & Witmer, L. M. (2011). Cranial osteology of a juvenile specimen of Tarbosaurus bataar (Theropoda, Tyrannosauridae) from the Nemegt Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Bugin Tsav, Mongolia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31: 497-517. doi:10.1080/02724634.2011.557116 (opens in a new tab)