Features of Tyrannosaurus Rex

The Tyrannosaurus Rex lived in forests and river valleys, in regions that is now western North America. It existed during the late cretaceous period, about 65 million years ago, and was among the last non-avian dinosaurs, that lived before the Cretaceous Tertiary extinction event.

Popularly known as the Tyrannosaurus Rex, this juggernaut dinosaur on an average weighed 6.5 tonnes, 13 ft tall at the hips, and 40 ft long. While the ultimate weight of the dinosaur may have been more, many bones throughout the skeletons found were hollow, reducing its overall weight. Its neck was short and muscular, in order to be able to support its massive head. The forelimbs were short and didn't serve much purpose as they had only two clawed fingers. However, the strong muscular hind limbs made up more than its size. Each foot had three sharp claws, which might have been used to hold the prey down while it fed. The tail, that was long, heavy and muscular, balanced the heavy head and torso. Most scientist believe, that it walked leaning forward, and held its tail parallel to the ground to balance itself.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex's skull was gigantic, and the largest one found measures 5 feet! The head that was extremely wide at the rear, narrowed down towards the snout. This gave the animal good binocular vision. The large 4-foot-long jaws were filled with rows of deadly teeth, built for ripping out flesh and crushing bone. It's jaws exuded tremendous pressure to the tune of approximately 4 tonnes per square inch. It is also believed that it could eat up to 500 pounds (230 kilograms) of meat in one bite. A Tyrannosaurus Rex's prey included other smaller dinosaurs. After examining fossils of dinosaurs that the Tyrannosaurus Rex preyed on, including Triceratops and Edmontosaurus, scientist have concluded that it is likely, Tyrannosaurus Rex's crushed and broke bones of its prey, as they ate. Broken bones have even been found in its fossilized dung.

Contrary to the size of its skull, the Tyrannosaurus Rex had a small brain. However, drawing conclusions from the openings in the skull for the nerves that carried smell and vision perceptions to the brain, the animal must have had a very sharp sense of smell and sight. Another surprising fact is that young Tyrannosaurus Rex's might have had coats of feathers, which they shed on reaching adulthood. While there are several facts about the Tyrannosaurus Rex that scientist have uncovered, some of these findings are now being questioned and re-examined. One of them is whether it actively hunted for food or scavenged already dead remains. This belief stems from the fact that many conceive the animal wasn't smart enough to hunt its prey. Another widely debated subject is the Tyrannosaurus Rex's running speed. Though portrayed in movies like Jurassic Park to be chasing a jeep, many paleontologists estimate that it could only run at 10 miles per hour!

The first partial Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton was found in eastern Wyoming in 1900, by Barnum Brown. While a majority of skeletons have been found in this region, others have also been found in Canada and Mongolia. Along with every new skeletal find, new facts about the Tyrannosaurus Rex are coming to light.