1.A Great Carnivore

Though it is not the largest dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex or T-rex is one of the mighty carnivores that ever walked on Earth. This dinosaur dominated North America in the late Cretaceous period, about 65 to 68 million years ago. The huge skull of this great theropod dinosaur measuring 1.5 meters was held in balance by its heavy long tail.

2.The Most Famous Dinosaur

Tyrannosaurus rex is the most famous dinosaur because of its ferocious nature, huge size and appearance of popular media on a regular basis. Several of its well-preserved fossils have been studied by paleontologist across the world in great detail. Its name ‘Tyrannosaurus’ id derived from Greek words that means ‘tyrant lizard’ and ‘rex’ is a Latin term meaning ‘king’.

3.Physical Features

Tyrannosaurus rex is a dinosaur that walked on 2 legs and used its heavy tail that had more than 40 vertebrae to balance its big head. It measured about 42 feet long and 13 feet at the hip. Its skull measured about 5ft long and the dinosaur weighed up to 7 tons. This dinosaur lived in the area that currently makes up the western part of North America.

4.Jaw Power

Tyrannosaurus rex had a jaw that was full of huge teeth with saw-like edges to deliver devastating bites. Though it is unclear whether this tyrant lizard was a leading predator or a mighty scavenger, evidence shows that it was no doubt feared. Scientists believe that this dinosaur was capable of eating up to 230 kilograms of meat in a single bite;. Its fossils, including the Edmontosaurus and Triceratops suggest that it broke and crushed bones as it fed. Pieces of broken bones have also been seen in its dung.

5.The Largest Tooth Ever

The largest tooth that has been discovered to date of a carnivorous dinosaur belongs to Tyrannosaurus rex. The tooth is estimated to be about 12 inches long including the root. A soon as this dinosaur hit age 14, its body size and weight would rise rapidly putting up about 600kg per year over its next four year period.

6.Movement

Though scientists cannot work out the speed at which Tyrannosaurus rex ran due to lack of solid evidence, it is estimated that its movement speed was between 11 to 43 miles per hour. The average estimated maximum speed is about 25 miles per hour. It quick movement was facilitated by its powerful, long tail and strong thighs.

7.Tyrannosaurus Rex Specimen

About 30 specimens of this dinosaur have been recovered to date, some of which are close to completion including those named Stan, Sue and the Juvenile Jane. Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History bought an 85% complete fossil skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex in 1997 at a cost of $7.6 million. The fossil, discovered by Sue Hendrickson is nicknamed Sue and is so far the most costly dinosaur skeleton.

8.Two Short Arms

T-rex had two 2 small but powerful arms. Each arm had 2 clawed fingers. Some scientists believe these arms may have made it difficult for it to grip prey suggesting it was a scavenger. Others suggest that it was a predator and its forearms would seize prey but then they were very short to reach the dinosaur’s mouth.

9.T-Rex Inspired Godzilla

T-rex is one of the 3 dinosaurs that motivated the appearance of Godzilla. The other two dinosaurs are Iguanodon and Stegosaurus.

10.T-Rex in Transformers

T-rex was featured in the famous animated series and toy-line, Transformers as Grimlock. It is presented as an Autobot that transforms into an extremely powerful T-Rex.