Nanuqsaurus — artistic reconstruction

Cretaceous

Nanuqsaurus

Nanuqsaurus hoglundi

The catalogue presents Nanuqsaurus as a carnivore member of Tyrannosauridae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 69 Ma. Its estimated range is 6.0 m in length and 0.6 t in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Alaska, USA. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.

Carnivore69 MaTyrannosauridae

Evidence-backed summary

For Nanuqsaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Fiorillo and Tykoski (2014).

The PBDB places it in Tyrannosaurinae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Tyrannosauridae.

In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range is the Maastrichtian.

The PBDB catalogues 1 occurrence, with material from the Prince Creek Formation (1). Provenance: United States.

The catalogue records the holotype as DMNH 21461 and the type locality as “Alaska, USA”.

  • DMNH 21461
  • Alaska, USA

The catalogue's reference measurements are 6.0 m in length and 0.6 t in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.

  • 6.0 m
  • 0.6 tons

The record gathers 4 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.

Records compiled on 2026-08-08

Where it lived

Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.

Present-day map1 PBDB
Prince Creek
PBDB occurrences
Map at the time · ~70 Ma1 PBDB
Prince Creek
PBDB occurrences
Present mean latitude69.8° N
Reconstructed mean latitude89.0° N

Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.

Paleobiology Database · GPlates · CC BY 4.0

Artistic 3D reconstruction

There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.

Physical Specifications

Length
6.0 m
Weight
0.6 t
Period
Cretaceous
Time range
69 Ma

Discovery Information

First Discovery
2014
Described by
Anthony Fiorillo & Ronald Tykoski

Taxonomic Classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Saurischia
Family
Tyrannosauridae
Genus
Nanuqsaurus
Species
N. hoglundi

Paleobiology Database · txn:289801

Data status

Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.

Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.

Type specimen
DMNH 21461
Type locality
Alaska, USA