WHAT DINOARE YOU?
The field guideTyrannosaurus rex
A REAL DINOSAUR. A SUSPICIOUSLY FAMILIAR PERSONALITY.

TYRANNOSAURUS REX.

The self-appointed manager.

You have a plan. Everyone else has a suggestion. You enter a room like the meeting was waiting for you, and frankly, it probably was.

DecisiveIntenseMain character

SIGNATURE MOVETaking charge of a situation that was not requesting leadership.

SPECIMEN 01 / LATE CRETACEOUSTyrannosaurus-rex-Profile-steveoc86 (coloured)TYRANNOSAURUS REX · CARNIVORE
Steveoc 86 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Meet the actual dinosaur
THE ACTUAL SCIENCE STARTS HERE

Meet the real Tyrannosaurus rex.

The jokes are ours.
The animal was very real.

WHEN
68–66 million years ago
ON THE MENU
Carnivore
LENGTH
12–13 m
BODY MASS
About 6–9 tonnes

A bone-crushing bite

Thick teeth and an exceptionally powerful bite allowed T. rex to damage and consume bone, not just slice flesh.

Two fingers, actual muscles

Its forelimbs had two main fingers. The arms were short, but their bones show substantial muscle attachments.

A remarkably good nose

Large olfactory regions in the braincase suggest that smell was an important part of its sensory toolkit.

Hunter and scavenger

Healed bite injuries in prey fossils support active hunting. Like living large carnivores, it could also exploit carcasses.

Growing up fast

Bone growth studies suggest a rapid adolescent growth phase on the way to an enormous adult body.

The end of an era

T. rex lived near the end of the Cretaceous and disappeared in the mass extinction about 66 million years ago.

A little room for discovery.

Adult mass estimates depend on the specimen and reconstruction method. The extent of feathering is also debated.

Read more: Tyrannosaurus rex on Wikipedia · Research and references. Facts are summarized in our own words. Size and date ranges are approximate; estimates vary by specimen and study. Gallery images may include other species within the genus.

FROM THE FOSSIL RECORD & THE DRAWING BOARD

A closer look.

Fossils, museum displays, and published reconstructions. Artwork shows an interpretation; it is not a photograph of a living dinosaur.

Tyrannosaurus-rex-Profile-steveoc86 (coloured)Steveoc 86 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Tyrannosaurus Sue skeletal reconstructionScott A. Hartman · CC BY 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops at Natural History Museum of Los Angeles CountyMatthew Dillon · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Tyrannosaurus skeletonWilliam D. Matthew · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
TYRANNOSAURUS REX / 1 OF 4
Tyrannosaurus-rex-Profile-steveoc86 (coloured)
Tyrannosaurus-rex-Profile-steveoc86 (coloured)

A life restoration of the theropod dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex. • The proportions are based on a Tyrannosaurus skeletal reconstruction by Scott Hartman [1] • It's not clear whether derived tyrannosaurs would have been covered in scales, feathers, or a combanation of both. A few small skin impressions have been described for Tyrannosaurus which show small pebbled skin; close relatives, Tarbosaurus and Gorgosaurus are known to have similar pebbled skin.[1] [2] Skin impressions from the closley related Gorgosaurus are reported to show both smooth, naked skin and scales.[3] [4] A 2017 study looked at a variety of tyranosaurid skin impressions and came to the conclusion that derived tyrannosaurs were probably scaly over most their body. [2] What complicates the issue is that most coelurosaur fos

Steveoc 86 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

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