Dinosaur: Scientists have discovered a new giant dinosaur which was a top predator!

The newly-discovered dinosaur is believed to have dominated the food chain

Scientists have discovered a brand new dinosaur that they believe may have been twice the length and over five times the weight of a tyrannosaur!

The mega dinosaur is believed to have lived 90 million years ago and would have been one of the top predators at the time, dominating the food chain way before the famous tyrannosaurus rex existed.

A single jawbone of the dinosaur was first found in Uzbekistan in the 1980s, but it was forgotten until being rediscovered by scientists two years ago in a museum collection.

Researchers say the dinosaur, which has been named Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis, would have been about eight metres long and weighed more than a tonne.

"We described this new genus and species based on a single isolated fossil, a left maxilla, or upper jawbone," said the study's first author Assistant Professor Kohei Tanaka.

"Among theropod dinosaurs, the size of the maxilla can be used to estimate the animal's size because it correlates with femur length, a well-established indicator of body size. Thus, we were able to estimate that Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis had a mass of over 1,000 kg, and was approximately 7.5 to 8.0 meters in length, greater than the length of a full-grown African elephant."

Carcharodontosaurs are believed to have been a lot bigger than tyrannosaurs

The Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis belongs to a group of "shark-toothed dinosaurs" called carcharodontosaurs, according to the study.

Scientists say that dinosaurs falling into this category were usually a lot bigger than tyrannosaurs, with some of them weighing more than six tonnes!

The carcharodontosaurs are believed to have disappeared around 80 million to 90 million years ago, allowing tyrannosaurs take control of the ecosystem, get larger in size, and become the main predators at the top of the food chain.

What do you think of the new giant dino discovery? Let us know in the comments!