Tyrannosaurus
hideTyrannosaurus (pronounced /tɨˌrænɵˈsɔːrəs/ or /taɪˌrænɵˈsɔːrəs/, meaning 'tyrant lizard') was a genus of theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex ('rex' meaning 'king' in Latin), commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids. Fossils are found in a variety of rock formations dating to the last three million years of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 68 to 65 million years ago. It was among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist prior to the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event.
Like other tyrannosaurids, Tyrannosaurus was a bipedal carnivore with a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to the large and powerful hindlimbs, Tyrannosaurus forelimbs were small, though unusually powerful for their size, and bore two clawed digits. Although other theropods rivaled or exceeded Tyrannosaurus rex in size, it was the largest known tyrannosaurid and one of the largest known land predators, measuring up to 13 metres (43 ft) in length, up to 4 metres (13 ft) tall at the hips, and up to 6.8 metric tons (7.5 short tons) in weight. By far the largest carnivore in its environment, Tyrannosaurus rex may have been an apex predator, preying upon hadrosaurs and ceratopsians, although some experts have suggested it was primarily a scavenger. The debate over Tyrannosaurus as apex predator or scavenger is among the longest running debates in paleontology.
More than 30 specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex have been identified, some of which 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 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, with some scientists considering Tarbosaurus bataar from Asia to represent a second species of Tyrannosaurus and others maintaining Tarbosaurus as a separate genus. Several other genera of North American tyrannosaurids have also been synonymized with Tyrannosaurus.
For more information about Tyrannosaurus, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with tyrannosaurus rex
T.rex's oldest ancestor identified
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Remains of the oldest-known relative of T.rex have been identified, more than 100 years after being pulled out of a Gloucestershire reservoir, according to research published in the Zoological Jo ...
Bye bye 'Hogwarts dinosaur'? New analyses of dinosaur growth may wipe out one-third of species
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Paleontologists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Museum of the Rockies have wiped out two species of dome-headed dinosaur, one of them named three years ago - with great ...
Researchers claim a third of dinosaurs might never have existed
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 13, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new ten-year study by US paleontologists suggests that up to a third of dinosaur fossils may have been incorrectly identified as new species, when they are actually juveniles of species ...
A misplaced dinosaur tooth may have been cannibalism
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- You don't have to be a paleontologist to suppose that way back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth chances were good meat eaters would dined on one of their own. Short of a time-machine trip back ...
Bizarre new horned tyrannosaur from Asia described
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 05, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (8) |
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Now, just a few weeks after tiny, early Raptorex kriegsteini was unveiled, a new wrench has been thrown into the family tree of the tyrannosaurs. The new Alioramus altai—a horned, long-snouted, gracile cousi ...
T. rex still looking for home after Vegas auction
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 04, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex is still looking for a home after bidders failed to meet the minimum price Saturday at a Las Vegas auction.
Was mighty T.rex 'Sue' felled by a lowly parasite?
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- When pondering the demise of a famous dinosaur such as 'Sue,' the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex whose fossilized remains are a star attraction of the Field Museum in Chicago, it is hard to avo ...
'Tiny' new T-Rex ancestor found in China (w/ Video)
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A 9-foot dinosaur from northeastern China had evolved all the hallmark anatomical features of Tyrannosaurus rex at least 125 million years ago. University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno ...
T. rex for sale: Dinosaur fossil on block in Vegas
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 04, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Museums and high-rolling natural history buffs will get a crack at buying a fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex next month at a Las Vegas Strip auction.
US to auction rare T-Rex skeleton
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Aug 13, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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A rare Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, among the most complete specimens in the world, is to go on the auction block in Las Vegas in October, the auction house Bonhams & Butterfields has said.
Reexamination of T. rex verifies disputed biochemical remains
Jul 29, 2009 |
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A new analysis of the remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) that roamed Earth 68 million years ago has confirmed traces of protein from blood and bone, tendons, or cartilage. The findings, scheduled for pu ...
Australian scientists hail triple dinosaur find
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jul 03, 2009 |
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Australian scientists hailed the country's most significant dinosaur discovery in decades on Friday after three new species were unearthed in a Queensland billabong.
Paleontologists brought to tears, laughter by Creation Museum
Jun 30, 2009 |
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For a group of paleontologists, a tour of the Creation Museum seemed like a great tongue-in-cheek way to cap off a serious conference.
Proteins, Soft Tissue from 80 Million-Year-Old Hadrosaur Add Weight to Theory that Molecules Preserve Over Time
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Apr 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A North Carolina State University paleontologist has more evidence that soft tissues and original proteins can be preserved over time - even in fossilized remains - in the form of new protein ...
Scientists discover 2 new dinosaur species
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Apr 22, 2009 |
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Researchers from Field Museum in Chicago have helped discover two new dinosaur species in China's Gobi Desert: a 5-foot-tall forebear of Tyrannosaurus rex and a half-ton beaked dinosaur reminiscent of a giant ostrich.
