TYRANNOSAURUS
Measuring 40 feet in length and standing an impressive 20 feet tall, Tyrannosaurus rex (tie-ran-no-sore-us rex) is probably the most famous and popular dinosaur ever discovered. It is also one of the few dinosaurs commonly referred to by its full scientific name.
Original Discovery
The very first bone of Tyrannosaurus was discovered in 1892 by the paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope, Othniel Charles Marsh's opponent from the "Bone Wars". He named the animal Manospondylus gigas (man-oh-spawn-die-luss gig-as). Ten years later in 1902, paleontologist Barnum Brown discovered a more complete set of fossil bones he believed belonged to the animal Deinodon (die-no-don). However, it soon became obvious that these bones were from a much larger animal. Brown named his new dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex, a name that means "tyrant lizard king". Later studies would indicate that Manospondylus and Tyrannosaurus were the same animal. When an animal is accidentally given two names, usually the first name submitted becomes the official name. However, in the case of Tyrannosaurus, the more popular name Tyrannosaurus rex overruled Manospondylus.
Physical Appearance
The skeletal structure of adult Tyrannosaurus is possibly the best known of any dinosaur. Hatchlings and juveniles, on the other hand, have very few identified fossil remains. Currently, the leading theory on the physical appearance of young Tyrannosaurus is that fossils of a species named Nanotyrannus (na-no-tie-ran-us) represent the fossil remains of young Tyrannosaurus. However, like most scientific theories, not everyone accepts the idea of Nanotyrannus being synonymous with Tyrannosaurus. For the sake of this article, I will be showcasing Tyrannosaurus development with Nanotyrannus representing young individuals.
It is thought that Tyrannosaurus hatched out of their eggs as long legged balls of fluff with narrow skulls. These chicks would have been cared for until they were able to hunt.
By the time they were six feet tall, these young Tyrannosaurus would have joined in group hunts with their siblings. Their long legs and light skulls allowed them to hunt the fast moving dinosaurs of the region. This enabled them to avoid competition with fully grown, slow moving Tyrannosaurus.
Eventually, these animals would reach the tyrannosaur equivalent of puberty. At this point, many things would start to change. Their skulls would become proportionately shorter and much wider. The feathers that had covered the entire body up to this point would start to disappear, although to what extent is unknown. The legs would become less adapted to running in favor of strength and to the ability to support the animals large body. The coloration of these Tyrannosaurus would change to indicate that they were sexually mature.
A fully mature Tyrannosaurus would have been one of the most robust animals to ever walk the planet. It would have had a bite that was capable of crushing a Mini Cooper. Adult Tyrannosaurus would have needed such a powerful bite in order to hunt slow moving herbivores like Triceratops and Ankylosaurus (an-kye-low-sore-us). These adult animals would have had either little to no feathers on their bodies.
Ecology
Tyrannosaurus lived in the Hell Creek formation at the end of the Cretaceous period 67-65 million years ago. It lived alongside many different species of dinosaur including Triceratops and Dakotaraptor (dakota-rap-tore) as well as the giant pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus. In this ecosystem of giants, Tyrannosaurus was king, occupying the seats of top predator, swift mid-sized hunter, and primary scavenger. However, Tyrannosaurus was not invincible. Many of its favorite prey items could easily spell the tyrant's doom. Creatures like Ankylosaurus could easily break the leg of Tyrannosaurus, and the large hadrosaur Anatosaurus (a-nat-toe-sore-us) weighed several tons and could crush a Tyrannosaurus' skull beneath its feet.
Extinction
Tyrannosaurus could have ruled North America for eternity but thankfully, that was not its destiny. 65 million years ago, a massive asteroid slammed into earth. This asteroid sent Tyrannosaurus into extinction along with every other non-avian dinosaur.
​
Image Credits
All images have been cropped to fit the space required
All images are used under Fair Use laws
Image credits are listed from top to bottom and from left to right
​
Tyrannosaurus
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: The Isle
​
Tyrannosaurus Skeleton
Original picture by: Claudia Augustine
​
Tyrannosaurus Trio
Original picture by: Claudia Augustine
​
Baby Tyrannosaurus
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: Prehistoric Kingdom Demo
​
Juvenile Tyrannosaurus
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: Prehistoric Kingdom Demo
​
Sub-Adult Tyrannosaurus
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: Prehistoric Kingdom Demo
​
Adult Tyrannosaurus
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: Prehistoric Kingdom Demo
​
Tyrannosaurus Inspecting a Hadrosaur
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: The Isle
​
Dead Tyrannosaurus
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in game: The Isle