Tyrannosaurus rex (King tyrant Lizard) Lived about 70 million years ago. At over 12 metres long and three times as tall as a man, it was one of the largest and deadliest creatures that has ever lived on land.
Has a whole Tyrannosaurus skeleton ever been found?
Complete fossil skeletons are very rare, but in 1990 two almost complete Tyrannosaurus skeletons were found in America.
Experts studying these and other Tyrannosaurs skeletons believe that, unlike meat-eater of today such as lions and tigers, the female Tyrannosaurus was probably bigger than the male.
Were there other big meat-eaters?
These three meat-eater were related to Tyrannosaurus, but were not as big. Two huge, 2.6-metre long fossil arms with clawed hands were found in Mongolia and named Deinocheirus (terrible hand). They may be from a version of Deinonychus that was even bigger than Tyrannosaurus.
Did Tyrannosaurus grasp prey with its front legs?
Tyrannosaurus’ arms and hands were too small to grasp its prey.
They couldn’t even reach its mouth. Its head and teeth were so strong and deadly that it did not need its arms to catch its prey.
How big were T rex teeth?
Tyrannosaurus had teeth up to 18 centimetres long. These teeth had a razor-sharp point to stab prey and rough, saw-like edges to rip through flesh. An adult had between 50 and 100 teeth and if one fell out, it simply grew another!
Was Tyrannosaurus fast or slow?
Experts used to think that Tyrannosaurus stood upright and lumbered along, dragging its tail on the ground. By studying the more complete skeletons, they now think it leaned forward, with its tail sticking out as a balance, and that it could run fast. Judging from its skull and the size of its brain, experts think it also had good eyesight and hearing and an excellent sense of smell.
Was the fiercest dinosaur a scavenger?
Some experts think Tyrannosaurus was a scavenger that ate dead animals and stole prey from other predators. Others think it could run as fast as a racehorse (50 kilometres an hour) and was a fierce hunter. The latest finds show it probably did both.
REFERENCES:
* www.search4dinosaurs.com/pictures.html.
* www.ology.amnh.org/paleontology/index.html.
* www.nationalgeographic.com/features.
* www.bbc.co.uk/dinosaurs.
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