Stretching just ten feet (three meters) and weighing only 175 pounds (80 kilograms), the animal, like T. rex, boasted a large head, short arms, and crushing jaws.

(Related: "Tiny 'T. Rex' Found—150-Pound Species Came First.")

Such mini-tyrannosaurs likely evolved into the meat-eating giants, including T. rex, that became the ultimate predators of the late Cretaceous, ruling the Earth until they vanished some 70 million years ago.

Until now, tyrannosaur fossils, big and small, have been found only in the Northern Hemisphere. (Related: "T. rex's Oldest Ancestor Discovered in China.")

But the discovery of a small early tyrannosaur in a remote southern location suggests T.