Tyrannosaurus

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"T. rex" redirects here. For other uses, see T. rex (disambiguation).

Tyrannosaurus

Temporal range: Late

Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), 68–

66 Ma 

PreꞒ

Pg

N
↓
 Reconstruction of the T. rex type

specimen (CM 9380) at

the Carnegie Museum of Natural

History

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Clade: Dinosauria

Clade: Saurischia

Clade: Theropoda

Family: †Tyrannosaurida
e

Subfamily: †Tyrannosaurina
e

Genus: †Tyrannosaurus
Osborn, 1905

Type species

†Tyrannosaurus rex

Osborn, 1905

Other species

See text

Synonyms
 show
Genus synonymy

show
Species synonymy

Tyrannosaurus[nb 1] is a 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.
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 12.3–12.4 m (40.4–40.7 ft) in length, though T. rex could grow to lengths
of over 12.4 m (40.7 ft), up to 3.66–3.96 m (12–13 ft) tall at the hips, and according to most modern
estimates 8.4 metric tons (9.3 short tons) to 14 metric tons (15.4 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. 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. Most paleontologists today accept that Tyrannosaurus was both an
active predator and a scavenger.
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. Several other genera of North American tyrannosaurids have also
been synonymized with Tyrannosaurus.
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.

Contents

 1History of research
o 1.1Earliest finds
o 1.2Skeleton discovery and naming
o 1.3Resurgent interest
o 1.4Footprints
 2Description
o 2.1Size
 o 2.2Skeleton
 3Classification
o 3.1Additional species
o 3.2Nanotyrannus
 4Paleobiology
o 4.1Life history
o 4.2Skin and possible filamentous feathering
o 4.3Sexual dimorphism
o 4.4Posture
o 4.5Arms
o 4.6Thermoregulation
o 4.7Soft tissue
o 4.8Speed
o 4.9Possible footprints
o 4.10Brain and senses
o 4.11Social behavior
o 4.12Feeding strategies
 4.12.1Cannibalism
o 4.13Parenting
o 4.14Pathology
 5Paleoecology
o 5.1Population estimates
 6Cultural significance
 7See also
 8Explanatory notes
 9References
 10Further reading
 11External links
o 11.1Exhibits

History of research
See also: Specimens of Tyrannosaurus

Earliest finds

Type specimen (AMNH 3982) of Manospondylus gigas

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 the large species Ornithomimus
grandis (now Deinodon) but are now considered T. rex remains.[2]
In 1892, Edward Drinker Cope found two vertebral fragments of a large dinosaur. Cope believed the
fragments belonged to an "agathaumid" (ceratopsid) dinosaur, and named them Manospondylus
gigas, meaning "giant porous vertebra", in reference to the numerous openings for blood vessels he
found in the bone.[2] The M. gigas remains were, in 1907, identified by Hatcher as those of a
theropod rather than a ceratopsid. [3]
Henry Fairfield Osborn recognized the similarity between Manospondylus gigas and T. rex as early
as 1917, by which time the second vertebra had been lost. Owing to the fragmentary nature of
the Manospondylus vertebrae, Osborn did not synonymize the two genera, instead considering the
older genus indeterminate.[4] In June 2000, the Black Hills Institute found around 10% of
a Tyrannosaurus skeleton (BHI 6248) at a site that might have been the original M. gigas locality.[5]

Skeleton discovery and naming

Skeletal restoration by William D. Matthew from 1905, published alongside Osborn's description paper

Barnum Brown, assistant curator of the American Museum of Natural History, found the first partial
skeleton of T. rex in eastern Wyoming in 1900. Brown found another partial skeleton in the Hell
Creek Formation in Montana in 1902, comprising approximately 34 fossilized bones. [6] Writing at the
time Brown said "Quarry No. 1 contains the femur, pubes, humerus, three vertebrae and two
undetermined bones of a large Carnivorous Dinosaur not described by Marsh.... I have never seen
anything like it from the Cretaceous".[7] Henry Fairfield Osborn, president of the American Museum of
Natural History, named the second skeleton T. rex in 1905. The generic name is derived from
the Greek words τύραννος (tyrannos, meaning "tyrant") and σαῦρος (sauros, meaning "lizard").
Osborn used the Latin word rex, meaning "king", for the specific name. The full binomial therefore
translates to "tyrant lizard the king" or "King Tyrant Lizard", emphasizing the animal's size and
perceived dominance over other species of the time. [6]