Deadly Tyrannosaurus T-Rex (Tyrannosaurus, T-Rex). Tyrannosaurus vs Gigantosaurus: the most dangerous predators Tyrannosaurus compared to humans

Tyrannosaurus, which lived during the Cretaceous period, had a body length of about 14 m; he lived in Asia, North America; it is the largest carnivorous land animal ever to exist.

The largest was the tyrannosaurus, 5-6 meters high and 12 m long. Its mouth was 1 m long. In one sitting, it could swallow prey weighing 200 kg. Tyrannosaurs – the most terrible land predators in the history of the planet. Adults weighed about 5-6 tons, and therefore were 15 times heavier than the largest modern predator - polar bear. The dinosaur that walked the Earth 65 million years ago was the largest land predator of all time.

How long did tyrannosaurs live?
Tyrannosaurs, the most feared land predators in the history of the planet, died young. The predator grew quickly, gaining two kilograms a day, like a modern one African elephant. How did they manage to grow to such sizes? Some experts believed that they grew slowly throughout their lives, others that they grew rapidly in their youth, and then the rate of increase in size slowed down, as in birds and mammals. that all these creatures were between two and 28 years old at the time of death. The animals grew the most in the 14th to 18th years of their lives, subsequently maintaining the achieved sizes.

Feathered Tyrannosaurus

Ancestors tyrannosaurus were covered with small feathers rather than bare skin. The skeleton of the ancestor, about 130 million years old, is the most ancient representative of the genus of tyrannosaurs, and is still the only one whose “feathering” is beyond doubt among paleontologists. It was about one and a half meters from the nose to the tip of the tail. However, it walked on its hind legs and was a formidable predator - for smaller herbivorous dinosaurs. The tyrannosaurus itself was unlikely to be covered with feathers - they would have hindered it more than helped it, due to large sizes It was more important for him to release excess heat to the outside world so as not to overheat. However, its "chicks" could hatch from eggs covered with some analogue of down, and lose it as they grow older. Slow predators

Most large predator in the world of dinosaurs was probably quite slow.
Tyrannosaur rex could not accelerate to a speed of more than 40 km/h, although many scientists believe that it was capable of running almost twice as fast. Scientists made their conclusions based on computer model six-ton lizard.

What did tyrannosaurs eat?

The size of tyrannosaurs posed problems for these animals - as they became larger, they most likely gradually lost the ability to move quickly. Young small animals could reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour, but as soon as the weight became more than a ton, this became impossible for biomechanical reasons. So if this animal was a predator and not a scavenger, it seems a mystery how it managed to obtain enough food to maintain a gigantic body growth rate. Perhaps the ecosystem Jurassic produced enough carrion - and the tyrannosaurs simply did not need to actively hunt. There was plenty of carrion around. It is still unclear whether tyrannosaurs were predators, or fed primarily on carrion?

Powerful bite

The tyrannosaurus did not simply sink its teeth into the body of the victim, as, say, lions do today. He quickly and easily bit through muscles, cartilage and even thick bones to great depths, and then tore large pieces of flesh out of the victim. The ground bones were eaten along with the meat. Tyrannosaurus had a very strong skull and jaw. And the most amazing thing is that the monster also had the whole system shock absorption. In particular, unlike most animals, part of the bones that make up the skull of the tyrannosaurus retained some mobility relative to each other. Connective tissues helped dissipate the impact energy. Of course, this way of feeding the tyrannosaurus was also facilitated by its sharp 15-centimeter teeth.

History of the study

general description

The two-fingered forelimbs are relatively small in comparison with the powerful legs. The tail is long and heavy. The spine consists of 10 cervical, 12 thoracic, five sacral and about 40 caudal vertebrae. The neck, like that of other theropods, is S-shaped, but short and thick to support the massive head. Some bones of the skeleton have voids, thus reducing total weight bodies without significant loss of strength. The body weight of an adult tyrannosaurus reached 6-7 tons, the largest individuals (Sue) could weigh about 9.5 tons.

The largest of famous skulls Tyrannosaurus rex is 1.53 m long. There is a fragment of a jaw (UCMP 118 742), the length of which could be 1.75 meters; the estimated weight of the owner of such a jaw could reach 12 - 15 tons. The shape of the skull has significant differences in comparison with theropods from other families: it is extremely wide at the back, the skull is very narrow at the front. According to experts, with such a skull structure, tyrannosaurs had excellent binocular vision. The structural features of the skull bones in the tyrannosaurid family make their bite incomparably more powerful compared to other theropods. The apex of the upper jaws is U-shaped (most other carnivorous theropods are V-shaped), which increases the amount of meat and bone that a Tyrannosaurus can tear off in a single bite, although at the expense of additional stress on the front teeth.

Tyrannosaurus teeth vary in shape. The front teeth are D-shaped in cross section and fit tightly together. They are curved inside the mouth and reinforced with ridges on the back side. The placement and shape of the front teeth reduce the risk of them being pulled out during biting and pulling. The inner teeth are more banana-shaped than dagger-shaped. They are more widely spaced, but also have strength-enhancing ridges on the back side. The total (including root) length of the largest tooth found is estimated at 30 cm. This is the longest tooth among all found teeth of carnivorous dinosaurs.

Tyrannosaurus walked on its hind limbs, like other members of the tyrannosaurid family.

A Tyrannosaurus running at 5 m/s requires almost 6 liters of oxygen gas per second, which also leads to the idea that Tyrannosaurus is warm-blooded.

Evolution

At approximately the same time as the Tyrannosaurus, a species almost indistinguishable from it lived on the territory of what is now Asia - Tarbosaurus. Tarbosaurs had a slightly more elegant structure and slightly smaller size.

Nutrition method

It has not been conclusively established whether tyrannosaurs were predators or whether they fed on carrion.

Many large herbivorous dinosaurs had protection on their backs, indicating the danger of being attacked by a tall predator with powerful jaws.

Tyrannosaurs are predators and scavengers. Many scientists believe that tyrannosaurs could have had a mixed diet, like modern lions - predators, but could eat the remains of animals killed by hyenas.

Way to travel

The mode of movement of the Tyrannosaurus remains a controversial issue. Some scientists are inclined to believe that they could run, reaching speeds of 40-70 km/h. Others believe that tyrannosaurs walked, not ran.

“Apparently,” writes Herbert Wells in the famous “Essays on the History of Civilization,” “tyrannosaurs moved like kangaroos, relying on a massive tail and hind legs. Some scientists even suggest that the Tyrannosaurus moved by jumping - in this case, it must have had absolutely incredible muscles. A leaping elephant would be much less impressive. Most likely, the tyrannosaurus hunted herbivorous reptiles - inhabitants of swamps. Half immersed in liquid swamp mud, he pursued his prey through the channels and pools of swampy plains, such as the present Norfolk swamps or the Everglades swamps in Florida.

The opinion about bipedal dinosaurs similar to kangaroos was widespread until the middle of the 20th century. Examination of the tracks, however, did not show the presence of tail prints. All carnivorous dinosaurs when walking, the body was held horizontally, the tail served as a counterweight and balancer. In general, the tyrannosaurus is close in appearance to a huge running bird.

Phylogenesis

Recent studies of proteins found in a fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex femur have shown the dinosaurs' closeness to birds. Tyrannosaurus is descended from small carnivorous dinosaurs of the late Jurassic era, rather than from carnosaurs. The currently known small ancestors of Tyrannosaurus (such as Dilong from the Early Cretaceous of China) were feathered with fine hair-like feathers. Tyrannosaurus Rex itself may not have had feathers (known impressions of the skin of the Tyrannosaurus rex thigh bear the typical dinosaur pattern of polygonal scales).

Tyrannosaurus in popular culture

Thanks to its enormous size, huge teeth and other impressive attributes, in the 20th century the Tyrannosaurus rex became one of the most recognizable dinosaurs in the world. That is why he often became a “super monster” - a killer dinosaur in films such as “The Lost World”, “King Kong”, etc. The main and most memorable film with the participation of a tyrannosaurus is Steven Spielberg’s film “Jurassic Park”, where this character had undergone careful elaboration and therefore looked very impressive.
In the sequel - the film "Jurassic Park 2" - was already present whole family tyrannosaurs - a male and a female with a cub, which significantly reduced their negative role; Moreover, the pursuit of the tyrannosaurs after the heroes of the film, and then the destruction caused by the male tyrannosaurus on the streets of San Diego, was to some extent justified by their parental instinct and desire to save their cub.
Ultimately, in the film Jurassic Park 3, the developers needed a new dinosaur to play the role of the main villain, and their choice fell on the Egyptian Spinosaurus. The Tyrannosaurus itself appeared only occasionally in the film.

Tyrannosaurus appears in many documentaries, such as "Walking with Dinosaurs", "The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs", etc. It was most accurately presented in the series documentaries"Dinosaur Battles"

The image of the Tyrannosaurus rex has also taken root in cartoons. Under the name "Sharptooth", the tyrannosaurus appears as the main negative character in the popular series of American full-length cartoons "The Land Before Time", the characters of which are dinosaurs.

The Tyrannosaurus also became a character in a number of animated series about Transformers. So, in his “image and likeness” Trypticon was created - a colossal transformer, a Decepticon fortress city. He is also the “mount” of Zadavala, the commander of the “Battle Dinosaur” squad in the series “Transformers: Victory”. The leader of the Predacons, Megatron, transforms into a tyrannosaurus (as the most terrible earthly creature) in the series “Beast Wars”, when the transformers, having arrived on prehistoric Earth, take on the appearance of earthly animals - both living and extinct. However, not only the bearers of an evil principle take on the guise of a tyrannosaurus: Grimlock, the commander of a group of Dinobots - not particularly smart, but powerful robots created by the Autobots and fighting with them against the Decepticons - also transforms into a tyrannosaurus.

Tyrannosaurus is also featured in the Dino Crisis game series. In the game Dino Crisis, he is the most powerful dinosaur (as in the game Dino Stalker) throughout the entire game, and in Dino Crisis 2, the Tyrannosaurus only at the end of the game supposedly dies in the fight against the Giganotosaurus, which in the game is presented much larger (length more than 20 meters) than is known from fossil remains. computer game ParaWorld The Tyrannosaurus is the strongest unit of the Desert race and the strongest unit in the game. In the game the Tyrannosaurus is much larger than in reality.

Notes

Erickson, Gregory M.; Makovicky, Peter J.; Currie, Philip J.; Norell, Mark A.; Yerby, Scott A.; & Brochu, Christopher A. (2004). “Gigantism and comparative life-history parameters of tyrannosaurid dinosaurs.” Nature 430 (7001): 772–775. DOI:10.1038/nature02699.
Brochu Christopher A. Osteology of Tyrannosaurus Rex: Insights from a Nearly Complete Skeleton and High-resolution Computed Tomographic Analysis of the Skull. - Northbrook, Illinois: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2003.
see: Denver Formation
see en:Lance Formation
Breithaupt, Brent H.; Elizabeth H. Southwell and Neffra A. Matthews (2005-10-18). "In Celebration of 100 years of Tyrannosaurus Rex: Manospondylus Gigas, Ornithomimus Grandis, and Dynamosaurus Imperiosus, the Earliest Discoveries of Tyrannosaurus Rex in the West" in 2005 Salt Lake City Annual Meeting . Abstracts with Programs 37 : 406, Geological Society of America. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
, p. 81-82
, p. 122
, p. 112
, p. 113
, - Northern State University:: Aberdeen, SD
Montana State University (2006-04-07). Museum unveils world's largest T-rex skull. Press release . Retrieved 2008-09-13.
Mickey Mortimer (2003-07-21). And the Largest Theropod Is..... Press release . Retrieved 2012-04-20.
Stevens, Kent A. (June 2006). "Binocular vision in theropod dinosaurs" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 26 (2): 321–330. DOI:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)262.0.CO;2.
Jaffe, Eric (2006-07-01). "Sight for "Saur Eyes: T. rex vision was among nature's best." Science News 170 (1): 3. DOI:10.2307/4017288. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
Holtz, Thomas R. (1994). "The Phylogenetic Position of the Tyrannosauridae: Implications for Theropod Systematics". Journal of Palaeontology 68 (5): 1100–1117. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
Paul, Gregory S. Predatory dinosaurs of the world: a complete illustrated guide. - New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988. - ISBN 0-671-61946-2 Template:Pn
Sue's vital statistics. Sue at the Field Museum. Field Museum of Natural History. (inaccessible link - story) Retrieved September 15, 2007.
All large dinosaurs were warm-blooded
Remains of a mutant tyrannosaurus found in Mongolia
T. rex, Meet Your Great-Grandfather Science Magazine September 17, 2009
El antepasado enano del Tiranosaurio Rex El Mundo.es September 17, 2009 (Spanish)
Denver W. Fowler, Holly N. Woodward, Elizabeth A. Freedman, Peter L. Larson, & John R. Horner. Reanalysis of "Raptorex kriegsteini": A Juvenile Tyrannosaurid Dinosaur from Mongolia // PloS ONE. - 2011. - T. 6. - No. 6. - PMID 21738646.
Horner, J.R. and Lessem, D. (1993). The Complete T. rex : How Stunning New Discoveries Are Changing Our Understanding of the World’s Most Famous Dinosaur. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Sue at The Field Museum
David W.E. Hhone and Mahito Watabe. New information on scavenging and selective feeding behavior of tyrannosaurs. (PDF) (English)
Tyrannosaurus Rex is recognized as a cannibal (Russian). Membrana (October 19, 2010). Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2010.

(68-65 million years ago)

Found: First, a saur tooth was found (1874, Golden City - Colorado); and in 1902 the skeleton itself was found in Montana

Kingdom: Animals

Era: Mesozoic

Type: Chordata

Class: Reptiles

Order: Lizard-pelvic

Family: Tyrannosauridae

Genus: Tyrannosaurus

Tyrannosaurus and several other saur species (Giganotosaurus, Spinosaurus, Torvosaurus, and Carcharodontosaurus) are considered the largest land predators. Despite the fact that the tyrannosaurus was slightly inferior to them in size, this did not prevent him from being the best of the hunters.

His sense of smell was better developed than most other dinosaurs, and his vision was so sharp that even a hawk could not compare with him. Plus, it was binocular, he could look into different sides, and the picture was reunited into one whole, which made it possible to determine the distance to the victim with sufficient accuracy, which the larger Giganotosaurus did not have.

Tyrannosaurus is perhaps the best known of all Cretaceous carnivores. He was one of the largest land predators; his main weapon was considered to be his mouth with a powerful jaw and strong teeth.

What did they eat and what kind of lifestyle did they lead?

There were several opinions about how and what this huge lizard ate: only carrion or did it attack other dinosaurs and reptiles. Most scientists agreed that he hunted smaller representatives of the animal world, although he did not disdain to profit from carrion. This was decided only after tyrannosaurus rex bite marks were found on the skeletons of other dinosaurs. They were so bloodthirsty that they did not hesitate to attack their own kind. It was later discovered that tyrannosaurs often had to fight for territory with other large carnivores. The eye sockets also indicate its predatory nature.

Details about the body structure

The skin was scaly, like that of lizards. His posture was slightly inclined, but even so, this bloodthirsty giant could easily look into the window of today's three-story house.

Dimensions

It could reach 13m in length, on average -12m
Height 5-5.5m
Body weight: was quite large - from 6 to 7 tons

Head

The largest skull reached 1m 53cm in length. The shape of the skull: wide at the back, and narrowing at the front; when viewed from above, together with the jaws it resembles the letter U. The brain is small in size, and in terms of intelligence it could be compared with a crocodile.

The teeth were very sharp and long (15-30 cm in length, the longest of all existing saurians). The bite was very powerful, the pressure of several tons was 15 times greater than the bite force of a lion. With the help of his jaws he could crush any bones and even skulls; his enemies almost never survived a bite.

Limbs

There were four limbs, but it moved only on 2 hind ones, the two front ones were small and completely undeveloped, unlike Spinosaurus. The usual speed is up to 20 km/h; if necessary, the tyrannosaurus could reach speeds of up to 60 km/h. The tail helped to maintain balance, and could also be a murder weapon - with its help one could easily break the spine or cervical vertebrae. The hind legs were also very powerful, with 4 toes. 3 of them were support ones, and the last one didn't even touch the ground.

Video about tyrannosaurs No. 1.

Video No. 2.

Fight with King Kong (from the movie King Kong).

Tyrannosaurus fight.

A huge, ferocious-looking animal, the extinct Tyrannosaurus rex is present in almost every drawing that is accompanied by the word “dinosaurs.” This is the only dinosaur, both species and genus, whose name, most often, everyone knows. But despite this, until recently, not many fossils of this dinosaur were found.
Tyrannosaurus was one of the largest representatives carnivorous dinosaurs. Some specimens reached a length of 12 meters 80 cm, and the width of the hips reached almost 4 meters, the length of the skull was more than 1 meter 50 cm. Tyrannosaurus was a dinosaur, gigantic size in every way.
This giant was also one of the last representatives of dinosaurs that did not fly. All found skeletons of tyrannosaurs were in sedimentary rocks end Cretaceous period, in what is now the United States or Canada, although some paleontologists have encountered this type of tyrannosaurus in somewhat older rocks from Mongolia: a huge member of the tyrannosaurid species, Tarbosaurus.
Tyrannosaurus, like other tyrannosaurids, had very short forelimbs and only two functional fingers on each “hand.” Of all the forearms of this species found, the largest was barely longer than the forearm of an adult. The cross section of the front teeth was shaped like the English letter D, and on the sides of the jaw there were 12 fairly huge teeth, which were shaped like jagged bananas, and not like the outlines of meat knives, which was inherent in the teeth of most theropods.
Over the years, new finds were found, including several more complete specimens. However, the front “arm” was found only in 1990, when a representative of Montana State University, John Horner, published a report on a tyrannosaurus that had a “hand” preserved. This find confirmed the presence of only two fingers, which paleontologists had assumed, by analogy with other tyrannosaurids. In Osborn's reconstruction, the dinosaur's front foot was three-toed, a reasonable hypothesis based on the fact that all other theropods of the period had only three fingers.
In 1991, on a ranch in South Dakota, a group of traders looking for fossils found Sue's skeleton. It was perhaps the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found. The discovery was followed by a legal struggle for the right to own it. Finally, according to a court decision, the fossil went to the rancher, who in 1997 auctioned it off as the property of the Field Museum (Chicago). Researchers had high hopes for Sue; they expected her to add tremendous value to our knowledge of tyrannosaurs.
About thirty Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons were found. The largest skull was one and a half meters long, the teeth reached thirty centimeters in length. The bite pressure of this dinosaur reached several tons. Considering that the tyrannosaurus had very powerful hind legs, maintaining balance with the help of its tail it could develop very high speeds.
The hind legs of a tyrannosaurus have a special structure. They ended in four fingers, three of which were fastened together for greater stability. The fourth finger was bent upward and did not touch the ground. At the end of the finger there was a large nail, which helped to rip open the belly of the prey. The front feet were small with three toes with claws. The posture of the tyrannosaurus was slightly inclined. He could reach speeds of up to five meters per second, and his stride was four meters long. The Tyrannosaurus's tail was heavy and thick. It allowed you to maintain balance while running on two legs.
The spine consisted of ten cervical, twelve thoracic, five sacral and forty caudal vertebrae. The neck was short and thick and supported the large head.
Some of the skeleton's bones were hollow inside. This made it possible to slightly reduce body weight without reducing the strength of the skeleton itself.
It is still not entirely clear whether Trinosaurus was a scavenger or a hunter. The scavenger theory is supported by the presence large nostrils, allowing one to smell the smell of carrion at a great distance, the teeth were more suitable for crushing bones.

The fact that the tyrannosaurus could have been a predator is evidenced by the fact that its eyes were in a deep cavity, and some specimens had spines and horny plates on their backs that protected them from attacks by predators. When paleontologist Peter Larson studied one of the tyrannosaurs, he saw a healed fracture on the fibula, as well as a fractured vertebra. There were also scratches on the facial bones, and a tooth from another tyrannosaurus that was embedded in a cervical vertebra. The scientist suggested that tyrannosaurs had aggressive behavior in relation to each other. Only the motives remain unclear. Perhaps this was competition for food, or perhaps an example of cannibalism. A more in-depth study of the wounds on the tyrannosaurus showed that these wounds were not traumatic, but infectious in nature. Perhaps these wounds were even inflicted after the death of the animal.
Most likely, the trinosaurus had a mixed diet.
Despite the apparent cruelty of the tyrannosaurus, its female was very scrupulous about her offspring. Before laying eggs, she nested and disguised it under foliage. For two months she does not leave the nest and does not even eat. The nest of a tyrannosaurus is a tasty morsel for scavengers. After the cubs appear, the female will feed and protect them for two months and then abandon them.
Tyrannosaurs are considered predators. There is evidence for this.
There is still controversy over the mode of movement of the Tyrannosaurus rex. Some researchers believe that they could run fast, reaching speeds of up to seventy kilometers per hour. Others believe that tyrannosaurs walked, not ran. Most likely, tyrannosaurs moved like kangaroos, relying on their massive tail and hind legs. Some researchers even suggest that tyrannosaurs moved by jumping. But then he must have had incredible muscles.
Most likely, the tyrannosaurus hunted herbivorous reptiles that lived in swampy areas. Half immersed in swampy mud, the tyrannosaurus pursued its prey through lakes and channels.
The idea that Tyrannosaurus rex was like a kangaroo was particularly popular in the mid-twentieth century. But the study of the tracks did not show the presence of tail prints. It is known that all predatory dinosaurs walked on two legs and held their bodies horizontally, and the tail served as a balancer and counterweight. Thus, Tyrannosaurus most likely looked like a large running bird. This version is also confirmed by traces of the fossil femur of a tyrannosaurus. The small ancestors of Tyrannosaurus rex were feathered with thin, hair-like feathers. The Tyrannosaurus itself may not have had feathers.

Dinosaurs are a very diverse group of animals. Their total number is 1850 species, 75% of which are not discovered. They dominated the earth's ecosystem for more than 160 million years, and first appeared 230 million years ago. But at the end of the Cretaceous period (65 million years ago), a catastrophic extinction event ended the dominance of dinosaurs. I want to talk about the most ferocious and cruel predator of the entire era - the tyrannosaurus

Tyrannosaurs are titan lizards. The name comes from the Greek "tyranos" - tyrant, despot and "sauros" - lizard. It was first discovered in 1874 by professor of paleontology A. Lakes in Colorado

The most common places of discovery are North America(Canada, USA) and Asia (Mongolia)

Tyrannosaurs are characterized by massive cheekbones and short powerful necks. These dinosaurs moved on two powerful hind limbs, while the front ones were more like “small arms”. His tail helped him maintain balance. He acted as the so-called “steering wheel”. The limbs, in turn, were divided into fingers. The front limbs had two toes, but the hind limbs had four, but one of them was bent upward and never touched the ground

Despite the fact that many dinosaurs could exceed it in size, T. rex remained the most strong predator, with a height of more than 5 meters, a length of 14 meters and a weight of 7.5-8 tons. With such data, he could reach speeds of up to 5 m/s, because his step was 4 meters long

Given his data, he had a spine of 10 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 sacral and 40 caudal vertebrae. There is a debate among scientists about who the tyrannosaurs were: predators or scavengers? One thing is clear for sure, if the main food is carrion, then such a creature would not need such powerful and developed muscles and skeletal structure with such huge legs. This is a predator model, honed by evolution, this is a killing machine, up the food chain.

Paleontologists have found the largest skull belonging to a tyrannosaurus rex. It was 1.5 meters long and the largest tooth was 30 cm (including the root). Scientists calculated that the force of the bite pressure reached several tons. At one time he could bite off a piece of meat weighing 70 kg!!!

But despite their cruelty, female tyrannosaurs are very sensitive to their offspring. Before laying the eggs, she created a “nest”, disguising it under foliage. And within two months she will not only not leave the incubation site, but will not even eat!!! After all, her nest attracts scavengers. After the cubs are born, she will completely protect and feed them, but after two months she leaves them.

It is a pity that history has only hypotheses. These are unique animals, inimitable. If we knew more about them, the world would be more interesting and clearer to us...