Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex (rex meaning "king" in Latin), often called T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the most well-represented of the large theropods.
Description
Size
Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the largest land carnivores of all time. One of the largest and the most complete specimen, nicknamed Sue (FMNH PR2081), is located at the Field Museum of Natural History. Sue measured 12.8 meters (42 ft) long,was 3.66 meters (12 ft) tall at the hips, and according to the most recent studies, using a variety of techniques, estimated to have weighed between 8.4 metric tons (9.3 short tons) to 14 metric tons (15.4 short tons).
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Duis lacinia sed mi ornare vulputate. Nam dictum eros at orci finibus, quis porttitor ante viverra. Proin et posuere urna, ut placerat nulla. Nam iaculis commodo nulla, at eleifend urna rutrum at. Mauris id aliquet nibh, et porta quam. Cras iaculis lorem eget faucibus consectetur. Ut nec scelerisque tortor. Pellentesque consectetur massa sapien, non mattis justo hendrerit a. Nunc pulvinar nibh ut lectus lacinia pharetra.
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Duis lacinia sed mi ornare vulputate. Nam dictum eros at orci finibus, quis porttitor ante viverra. Proin et posuere urna, ut placerat nulla. Nam iaculis commodo nulla, at eleifend urna rutrum at. Mauris id aliquet nibh, et porta quam. Cras iaculis lorem eget faucibus consectetur. Ut nec scelerisque tortor. Pellentesque consectetur massa sapien, non mattis justo hendrerit a. Nunc pulvinar nibh ut lectus lacinia pharetra.
Compare
Dinosaur sizes
Tyrannosaurus
13 meters tall
Brachiosaurus
21 meters tall
A specimen nicknamed Scotty (RSM P2523.8), located at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, is reported to measure 13 m (43 ft) in length. Using a mass estimation technique that extrapolates from the circumference of the femur, Scotty was estimated as the largest known specimen at 8.8 metric tons (9.7 short tons) in weight (Anderson, J. F. 1985) .
Restoration showing scaly skin with sparse feathering, and lipped jaws
Source: Wikipedia
The largest known Tyrannosaurus rex skull measures up to 1.52 meters (5 ft) in length. Large fenestrae (openings) in the skull reduced weight, as in all carnivorous theropods. In other respects Tyrannosaurus's skull was significantly different from those of large non-tyrannosaurid theropods. It was extremely wide at the rear but had a narrow snout, allowing unusually good binocular vision.
The discovery of feathered dinosaurs led to debates if, and to what extent, Tyrannosaurus might have been feathered. Filamentous structures, which are commonly recognized as the precursors of feathers, have been reported in the small-bodied, basal tyrannosauroid Dilong paradoxus from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China in 2004. Because integumentary impressions of larger tyrannosauroids known at that time showed evidence of scales, the researchers who studied Dilong speculated that insulating feathers might have been lost by larger species due to their smaller surface-to-volume ratio.
| Dinosaur | Weight | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Spinosaurus [1] | 21 tonnes | 18 meters |
| Tyrannosaurus rex | 18 tonnes | 13 meters |
| Carcharodontosaurus | 15 tonnes | 14 meters |
| Giganotosaurus | 14 tonnes | 14 meters |
| Acrocanthosaurus [2] | 7 tonnes | 11 meters |
|
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Get the factsheet on how awesome the Tyrannosaurus is
The discovery of feathered dinosaurs led to debates if, and to what extent, Tyrannosaurus might have been feathered.
Skeleton
The largest known Tyrannosaurus rex skull measures up to 1.52 meters (5 ft) in length. Large fenestrae (openings) in the skull reduced weight, as in all carnivorous theropods. In other respects Tyrannosaurus's skull was significantly different from those of large non-tyrannosaurid theropods.
History of research
More than 20 almost-complete t rex skeletons have been found. The most perfect, nicknamed Sue, was unearthed in South Dakota, USA, 20 years ago.
Teeth from what is now documented as a Tyrannosaurus rex were found in 1874 by Arthur Lakes near Golden, Colorado. In the early 1890s, John Bell Hatcher collected postcranial elements in eastern Wyoming. The fossils were believed to be from a large species of Ornithomimus (O. grandis, now Deinodon grandis) but are now considered Tyrannosaurus rex remains.
NARRATOR: It's one of the most mysterious dinosaurs ever discovered: head like a crocodile, meter-long jaws, a spectacular sail, and an overall body larger than T. rex.
NIZAR IBRAHIM (University of Chicago): There is no animal alive or extinct, that we know of, that looks anything like Spinosaurus .
NARRATOR: Spinosaurus : only one skeleton has ever been found, and, in a single night, it was destroyed.
HANS-DIETER SUES (National Museum of Natural History): It was a catastrophic loss to science, overall.
NARRATOR: Now, after a century of searching, a new skeleton has emerged from the Sahara.
MATT LAMANNA (Carnegie Museum of Natural History): When this skeleton is revealed, it's going to change our understanding of this animal in pretty fundamental ways.
The largest known Tyrannosaurus rex skull measures up to 1.52 meters (5 ft) in length. Large fenestrae (openings) in the skull reduced weight, as in all carnivorous theropods. In other respects Tyrannosaurus's skull was significantly different from those of large non-tyrannosaurid theropods.
Tyrannosaurus is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex (rex meaning "king" in Latin), often called T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the most well-represented of the large theropods.
Tyrannosaurus is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex (rex meaning "king" in Latin), often called T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the most well-represented of the large theropods.
Amazing facts
Impress your friends with these amazing Tyrannosaurus rex facts:
- The T. Rex roamed the planet during the late Cretaceous Period 65 million years ago, in what’s now the USA and Canada.
- The name Tyrannosaurus Rex comes from Greek and Latin words meaning ‘Tyrant Lizard King’.
- The terrific T. Rex was a seriously big beast, growing up to 12m long and 6m tall!
Getting away from a Tyrannosaurus rex
These are some things you can try if you ever see a Tyrannosaurus rex:
- Run away as fast as you can
- Laugh at its little arms
- Play dead
Contacts
Dinosaur containment hotline
Call us if you spot a dinosaur on the loose.
Glossary
- AFBP
- Aboriginal Family Birthing Program
- AFP
- α-fetoprotein
- AGREE
- Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation
- AHMAC
- Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council
References
- Anderson, J. F.; Hall-Martin, A. J.; Russell, D. (1985). "Long bone circumference and weight in mammals, birds and dinosaurs". Journal of Zoology. 207 (1): 53–61
- Henderson, D. M. (1999-01-01). "Estimating the masses and centers of mass of extinct animals by 3-D mathematical slicing". Paleobiology. 25 (1): 88–106.
- Carr, T. D.; Williamson, T. E. (2004). "Diversity of late Maastrichtian Tyrannosauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from western North America". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 142 (4): 479–523
- 1 One study of Tyrannosaurus specimens with tooth marks in the bones attributable to the same genus was presented as evidence of cannibalism.
- 2 Evidence of intraspecific attack were found by Joseph Peterson and his colleagues in the juvenile Tyrannosaurus nicknamed Jane