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Gorgosaurus

Gorgosaurus
Image by Mike Chung (Redpath Museum).

For many years, the name Albertosaurus referred to a large number of tyrannosaurids. We know that this specimen is in fact a Gorgosaurus, a species that lived about five million years before Albertosaurus.

Species: Gorgosaurus libratus
Family: Tyrannosauridae
Group: Theropoda
Name means: Fierce Lizard
Adult Size: 8 metres long (26 ft)

Size comparison of the gorgosaurus
Source: Matt Martyniuk. Accessed at the Wikipedia Commons. License terms.

Weight: 1000 kg (1 tonne)
Age at death: Teenager, only about 70% full-grown adult size.
Lived during: Late Cretaceous (74 million years ago)
Diet: Meat

Known distribution: Southern Alberta and parts of Montana

Gorgosaurus, known distribution, Redpath Museum
Image credit: Bruno Paul Stenson (Redpath Museum)


Behaviour: This group of dinosaurs probably lived and hunted in packs
Discovery: Found in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, by Levi Sternberg in 1920. The original fossil bones are at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Other info: In comparison to the related Tyrannosaurus rex, the Gorgosaurus was 2/3 smaller but probably ran faster and had a few more teeth. The two small forearms had two clawed digits or fingers. The teeth had serrated edges like a steak knife for sawing flesh.

Gorgosaurus, broken leg, Redpath Museum

Image credit: Adrian Bobb (Redpath Museum)

Land Acknowledgement

McGill University is on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. We acknowledge and thank the diverse Indigenous peoples whose presence marks this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.


Rematriation, Repatriation and Restitution Statement

We acknowledge that the return and restitution of cultural and natural heritage to communities of origin is an essential part of reconciliation and of recognizing the fundamental rights of Indigenous Peoples. As part of wider efforts to activate the standards presented in the Canadian Museums Association Report Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums (2022), the Redpath is working towards pro-active restitution practices. As per our Collections Management Policy (2024), repatriation requests will be received by the Redpath Museum Director and will be treated on a case-by-case basis.

 

Accessibility

We warmly welcome all visitors and aim to provide helpful information so you can plan your visit to the Redpath Museum with confidence.

Please note that the Redpath Museum is in a historic building that does not currently meet universal accessibility standards. At this time, there are no ramps or elevators, and access to the museum, exhibition galleries (located on 3 floors), and washrooms requires the use of a central staircase.

The building’s washrooms are gendered and located in the basement. The nearest gender inclusive washrooms are located in the McLennan Library Building (M6-37C).

Due to the architecture and open spaces, the exhibition galleries may become noisy during periods of high attendance.

Please also note that the building is not air-conditioned. During hot weather, indoor temperatures can exceed outdoor temperatures.

We recognize that these conditions may limit access for some visitors and are committed to improving accessibility over time.

If you have specific accessibility related questions, we encourage you to contact us at redpath.museum [at] mcgill.ca.

 

For more detailed information, please consult the Keroul 2025 accessibility report.

For more information on the status and scope of the accessibility project, please click here.

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