Two dinosaurs fossilized in combat, originally thought to involve a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex testing its mettle against a Triceratops, actually feature a separate species frequently confused with the carnivore, scientists revealed Thursday.

The “dueling dinosaurs” fossil was first unearthed in Montana in 2006. At the time, it was assumed to depict a young T. rex fighting a Triceratops and was shelved to collect dust.

Scientists started to examine the fossil more microscopically after it was acquired by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in 2020 and finally made available for research.

After a thorough five-year study, scientists confidently determined that the presumed teenage T. rex is actually an adult Nanotyrannus lancensis, a smaller species frequently confused with the

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