Even though we believe we know a lot about dinosaurs, particularly the Tyrannosaurus, the dinosaurs’ uncrowned king, we really don’t. Numerous new discoveries made just this year alone may alter how people regard this species.
- COMMON NAME: Tyrannosaurus rex
- SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tyrannosaurus rex
- TYPE: Prehistoric Animals
- DIET: Carnivore
- SIZE: 40 feet long and 12 feet tall
- WEIGHT: Between 5.5 and eight tons
One of the best-known species of the Mesozoic era is Tyrannosaurus rex. However, we only have a small number of adult specimens of this species’ fossils on which to base our description of it.
Recent research by some paleontologists suggests that T. rex (the king) may have shared a genus with two other closely related species named T. imperator (the emperor) and T. regina (the queen). Researchers from the Canadian Museum of Natural History in Ottawa have now published a model that contends that the species’ members may weigh up to 70% more than previously believed.
These paleontologists’ models demonstrate that this ancient predator may have weighed up to fifteen tons. Scientists reportedly presented this version at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s annual conference.
Scotty, a specimen of the Tyrannosaurus rex species, was the largest specimen so far found; he lived to be about 8,870 kilograms in weight. But according to the model, the largest member of this species may have weighed around 70% more, said research co-author Jordan Mallon.
Around 2.5 billion of these predatory dinosaurs formerly roamed the Earth, according to Mallon and colleague David Hon’s initial study of the fossil record. But so far, only 32 fossils of adults have been found, which is not a large enough sample.
Based on how many of these dinosaurs there were and how long they lived on average, the scientists made two models to figure out how big they could get. They included potential differences between men and women in one of the models. Scientists predict that tyrannosaurs could have weighed up to 24 tons if these variations existed in them.
We didn’t go with this idea in the end because, according to Mallon, if it were true, we would have already found people who were much bigger.
Despite the model’s findings, the scientists emphasized that any generalizations about the size of these dinosaurs are only hypothetical until a tyrannosaurus of a size close to their estimations is discovered. Mallon continued, “It’s just a thought experiment supported by the numbers.”
68 to 66 million years ago, Tyrannosaurus rex inhabited the Earth. Experts estimate that this animal, which had a jaw capable of crushing prey, was among the biggest terrestrial predators ever.
The Top T. rex Moments in 4K HDR | Jurassic World
Tyrannosaurus rex’s Weaknesses
However, not all of Tyrannosaurus rex’s traits were aggressive. This dinosaur had rather little arms, and scientists disagree over what these limbs were used for. Some suggest that the animal’s arms performed non-predatory functions like assisting it in grasping a mate or were evolutionary leftovers, similar to the pelvic bones of a snake. Others contend that, given their four-inch claws’ capacity for inflicting deep wounds, T. rex’s arms may have been modified for “vicious slicing” at close range.
Furthermore, while having sturdy thighs, these dinosaurs were not swift. They could only move quickly at up to 12 miles per hour, which is probably not fast enough to pursue a jeep like in the scene from Jurassic Park. According to biomechanical studies, these large, hefty animals would have broken the bones in their feet if they had traveled any faster.
