Facts About Tyrannosaurus Rex
Around 67 million years ago, one of the mightiest and most famous dinosaurs roamed the Earth—the Tyrannosaurus Rex! Although you probably know it as a T. Rex, it’s also been called the King of the Dinosaurs. Keep reading to discover how it got its fearsome title, if it could beat a cheetah in a race, and plenty of other fun T. Rex facts!
The Tyrannosaurus Rex is also quite the actor. You might have spotted it in Jurassic Park, King Kong, or even a video game! While we’re sure you’re familiar with what they look like, did you know that their head was roughly the size of a car? So, let’s explore how it lived, what it ate, and how it became the King.
What did the T. Rex look like?
As one of the biggest carnivores to ever live, the T. Rex had a massive head, body, and legs. Despite this, it was known for having surprisingly small arms, which were only about a metre long—Its skull alone was bigger! Scientists theorise that this might have been to grab and hold prey or to push itself up from the ground. Take a look at the example below and imagine a T. Rex trying to get up with its tiny arms!
In addition to its massive size, its huge tail was long and muscular, perfect for keeping it balanced. Its strong legs also made it a powerful runner! Although it wasn’t the fastest dinosaur, it was incredibly speedy for its size and could run 20-25 miles per hour. That’s about the same speed as the average car ride! Don’t worry, the T. Rex still wasn’t as fast as sports cars or a cheetah.
The T. Rex also had teeth up to 7 inches long—that means one single tooth was as long as a banana and thicker than a grown-up’s finger! These dangerous gnashers were helpful for attacking and eating prey, especially as they were powerful enough to crunch bones. Scientists have even found dinosaur bones in fossilised T. Rex poop, indicating that they were able to fully eat other dinosaurs, including the skeleton!
As the exact appearance of dinosaurs remains uncertain, the images above are provided for illustrative purposes only and have been generated using AI technology.
How big was the T. Rex?
The T. Rex was a beast of the dinosaur world, standing at around 12 metres tall and weighing about 18,000 pounds, or 9 tons. To put that into perspective, imagine the weight of seven elephants and the height of a two-story house! Although it wasn’t the biggest dinosaur around, its muscle mass and large features made it an extraordinary hunter, along with its surprising speed. Imagine if a mammoth could run as fast as a car! Large creatures typically aren’t able to move as quickly as the T. Rex could, which showed how strong its muscular legs really were.
What did the T. Rex eat?
We already know that the carnivorous T. Rex likely hunted and ate other dinosaurs, but was that its main prey? At its size and with such a powerful bite, the T. Rex could have taken its pick of most other animals in the dinosaur world. While some scientists believe that the T. Rex hunted other dinosaurs or large animals, others believe it fed on the carcasses of animals that had already died. It’s most likely it ate large herbivorous dinosaurs like the Triceratops, especially as they likely wouldn’t be equipped to fight off such a massive beast.
Where did the T. Rex live?
The T. Rex roamed the Earth around 67 million years ago in North America. Based on explorations and where fossils have been found, it seemed most likely to live where we currently have Canada and the western United States. Although it can get pretty cold there now, back then it would have been warm and filled with forests, plains, and rivers. This was the perfect place for the T. Rex to thrive, with plenty to hunt and explore. Imagine being chased through the jungle by such a large beast with massive teeth and strong arms; You’d need to be extra speedy to outrun them!
What killed the T. Rex?
Like many other dinosaurs, the T. Rex most likely succumbed to the mass extinction event that occurred. You might have heard that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs, but it was more like a set of dominoes falling over! When the asteroid hit, it started a chain effect of huge fires, tsunamis, and earthquakes. Combined with the changing climate, many dinosaurs couldn’t adapt to the dangerous environment, including the mighty T. Rex.
With many herbivorous dinosaurs going extinct, this also meant that carnivores like the T. Rex didn’t have much food to hunt. While we can’t say exactly which killed the dinosaurs, the combined elements would have been no match for even the King of the Dinosaurs, especially if it wasn’t able to eat!
Fun facts about Tyrannosaurus Rex
- The T. Rex’s bite could apply more than 6 tons of pressure, which would be like being crushed by a truck! That also makes it one of the strongest bites of any land animal.
- Thanks to its giant nose and olfactory bulb (the thing that helps you smell!), the T. Rex could likely smell its prey from miles and miles away.
- Although its arms were tiny, they were still mighty. Just think, if they used their arms to get up from the ground, then they would have needed to support all that weight!
- Alongside its strong sense of smell, the T. Rex had a great field of vision. Their eyes were on the front of their head like humans, letting them see far into the distance and spot prey.
- Some scientists believe that when a T. Rex was born, it was covered in feathers like a chicken. Imagine a fluffy baby T. Rex just waiting for its scales to come in—adorable!
- The T. Rex was one of the last dinosaurs to live before the mass extinction event, meaning they were thriving right up until the end!
- Though we can’t confirm it, some scientists believe that the T. Rex might’ve hunted in groups and been social with other T. Rex! Others believe the T. Rex was a solo predator. What do you think?
Closing Summary:
Scientists are only able to learn this much about dinosaurs by looking at fossils, which can be footprints, bones, or even poop that have been preserved by rock. Although we know lots about the T. Rex, scientists are always still discovering new fossils and possibilities. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be a part of new discoveries about dinosaurs like the T. Rex!
We have loads of other fun and interesting articles about dinosaurs, so why not have a look? Keep exploring and expanding that knowledge of palaeontology, and perhaps you’ll be as famous as the T. Rex one day, too!
T.Rex Questions and Answers
You’ve just explored the fascinating world of the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex—from its towering size and powerful bite to its incredible speed and hunting skills. But how much do you really remember?
Now, it’s time to put your dino knowledge to the test! We’ve created a fun quiz with 10 exciting questions to see how well you know the King of the Dinosaurs.
Download the quiz by clicking the button to the right and challenge yourself or your friends. Can you get them all right? Let’s find out!
