| Tyrannosaurus | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| General information | |||
| Universe | Real life | ||
| Aliases | T. rex T-Rex Tyrant lizard | ||
| Classification | Tyrannosaurus | ||
| Species type | Tyrannosaur | ||
| Homeworld | Earth | ||
| Environment | Late Cretaceous North American forests | ||
| Intelligence | Non-Sapient | ||
| Biochemistry | Carbon-based | ||
| Discovered | 1902 | ||
| Discoverer | Barnum Brown | ||
| Biological information | |||
| Lifespan | 28-30 years | ||
| Reproduction | Sexual; lay eggs | ||
| Average height | 3.7 - 6.1 meters (13-16 ft) | ||
| Average weight | 5 - 9 tonnes | ||
| Average length | 12 - 13 meters (40-43 ft) | ||
| Locomotion | Bipedal | ||
| Feeding behavior | Carnivorous | ||
| Prey | Triceratops Ankylosaurus Edmontosaurus | ||
| Distinctive features | Robust build Large head balanced by long tail Powerful legs Small forelimbs | ||
| Lineage information | |||
| Related species | Tarbosaurus Zhuchengtyrannus | ||
| Cultural information | |||
| Sociocultral characteristics | |||
| Scientific taxonomy | |||
| Domain | Eukaryota | ||
| Kingdom | Animalia | ||
| Subkingdom | Eumetazoa | ||
| Infrakingdom | Bilateria | ||
| Superphylum | Deuterostomia | ||
| Phylum | Chordata | ||
| Subphylum | Vertebrata | ||
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata | ||
| Superclass | Tetrapoda | ||
| Class | Reptilia | ||
| Subclass | Archosauria | ||
| Infraclass | Avemetatarsalia | ||
| Superorder | Dinosauria | ||
| Order | Saurischia | ||
| Suborder | Eusaurischia | ||
| Infraorder | Theropoda | ||
| Superfamily | †Tyrannosauroidea | ||
| Family | †Tyrannosauridae | ||
| Subfamily | †Tyrannosaurinae | ||
| Tribe | †Tyrannosaurini | ||
| Genus | †Tyrannosaurus | ||
| Species | †T. rex †T.mcraeensis | ||
| Other information | |||
| Status | Extinct | ||
Tyrannosaurus (Tyrant lizard) is an extinct genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex (rex meaning "king" in Latin), often called T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the best represented theropods. Tyrannosaurus lived throughout what is now western North America, on what was then an island continent known as Laramidia. Tyrannosaurus had a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids. Fossils are found in a variety of rock formations dating to the Maastrichtian age of the Upper Cretaceous period, 68 to 66 million years ago. It was the last known member of the tyrannosaurids and among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. As the archetypal theropod, Tyrannosaurus has been one of the best-known dinosaurs since the early 20th century and has been featured in film, advertising, postal stamps, and many other media.
Appearance[]
Like other tyrannosaurids, Tyrannosaurus was a bipedal carnivore with a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to its large and powerful hind limbs, the forelimbs of Tyrannosaurus were short but unusually powerful for their size, and they had two clawed digits. The most complete specimen measures up to 12.3 meters (40 feet) in length, though T. rex could grow to lengths of over 12.3 m (40 ft), up to 3.96 m (13 ft) tall at the hips, and according to most modern estimates 5 metric tons (5.5 short tons) to 9 metric tons (9.9 short tons) in weight. Although other theropods rivaled or exceeded Tyrannosaurus rex in size, it is still among the largest known land predators and is estimated to have exerted the strongest bite force among all terrestrial animals.
Specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex include some that are nearly complete skeletons. Soft tissue and proteins have been reported in at least one of these specimens. The abundance of fossil material has allowed significant research into many aspects of its biology, including its life history and biomechanics. The feeding habits, physiology, and potential speed of Tyrannosaurus rex are a few subjects of debate. Its taxonomy is also controversial, as some scientists consider Tarbosaurus bataar from Asia to be a second Tyrannosaurus species, while others maintain Tarbosaurus is a separate genus. The same situation would repeat with the discovery of Zhuchengtyrannus magnus in China, though it's fossils are far more fragmentary than that of the 2 other genuses. Several other genera of North American tyrannosaurids have also been synonymized with Tyrannosaurus, such as Nanotyrannus, which while likely is just a juvenile T. Rex, with the debate still not being entirely solved.
From scientific discoveries, we can confirm that Tyrannosaurus had scaly skin on most of its body, but it's speculated it either had a small amount of feathers due their presence on it's smaller more basal relative, Yutyrannus, though in it's case they would be comparable to the hair of elephants, or just did not have feathers at all. It's possible however hatchlings may have actually been covered in feathery fluff. It's hypothesised that Tyrannosaurus had an earthy-colored body so it could conceal itself during hunting, but it is only speculation. The males may have had colored keratin crests, but once again, it's only suspected. The truth will likely be never known.
Behaviour[]
By far the largest carnivore in its environment, Tyrannosaurus rex was most likely an apex predator, preying upon hadrosaurs, juvenile armored herbivores like ceratopsians and ankylosaurs, and possibly sauropods. Some experts have suggested the dinosaur was primarily a scavenger. The question of whether Tyrannosaurus was an apex predator or a pure scavenger was among the longest debates in paleontology. At the same time, not only did Tyrannosaurus have the strongest bite force of all land animals (estimates range from 35,000 to 63,000 newtons), but Tyrannosaurus teeth were found embedded in the bones of Edmontosaurus, which notably, healed. Most scientists now suspect that while T. Rex was primarily a predator, it wouldn't be opposed to and would often scavenge aswell.
Tyrannosaurus likely lived most of their lives in solitude, however, it's possible that on certain occasions, such as if hunting larger Sauropods like Alamosaurus (if the two co-existed), they could have formed temporary mobs, as other, smaller Tyrannosaurids have evidence for doing. It's also possible they may have lived in small family units, with the parents taking care of their young for some time. Outside of these occasions though, Tyrannosaurus would have been aggresive towards each other, as evidenced by bite marks found on their skeletons, which could have been only inflicted by other members of it's species.
Triva[]
TBD
Gallery[]
