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- Colloquially called T.rex/ or T-Rex, Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest ever theropods to walk the earth.
- The name is derived from Latin: – the word “tyrannos” means “Tyrant”; the word “sauros” means “Lizard” and the word “rex” translates to “King.” Hence, the binomial name translates to “Tyrant Lizard King” which emphasizes the animal’s sheer size and dominance over other animals at the time.
- Tyrannosaurus Rex is also one of the most well-known of the dinosaurs.
- This is due to the large number of fossils that were unearthed over the years. T.Rex was a bipedal dinosaur, which meant it walked on two legs (hind legs).
- It was also a carnivore, which was quite evident from its large, dagger-like teeth. Species have been found with teeth measuring 12 inches long, making it the largest-known teeth of any carnivorous dinosaur.
- Coming to its size, T.rex was one of the largest carnivores to ever live.
- When fully grown, an adult T.rex would have measured more than 40 feet long and over 12 feet tall (at the hips.) Its weight is speculated to be between 8.4 to 14 metric tons.
- The skull is quite massive too, with the largest recorded T.rex skull measuring 5 feet in length. The anatomy of its skull was quite different from other theropods, with a narrow snout and a very wide rear. This also allowed the animal to possess excellent binocular vision, which was helpful for hunting prey.
- One of the most characteristic features of T.rex was its comically small arms. It was so small that some paleontologists speculated that it was vestigial and had no existing functions.
- Other have proposed that these tiny arms may have acted like “meat-hooks”, which grabbed on to the prey while the teeth did its job.
- Regardless, it was a fearsome predator that could have easily killed its prey just by using its powerful jaws and massive steak knife-like teeth.
- Birds are the descendants of dinosaurs, hence, birds are (technically) related to T.rex since both are classified as theropods.
- Hence, it might not be a surprise if paleontologists find fossil evidence for t.rex with feathers. Historically, all dinosaurs were presented with scales covering their entire body, just like today’s crocodiles and alligators.
- However, since birds have feathers, scientists, speculate that even dinosaurs, especially other theropods, may have had feathers too.
- Its primary purpose would have been to provide insulation, but this was applicable to smaller theropods.
- Larger theropods such as tyrannosaurs may have had patches of hair on its body, similar to today’s elephants.
SOURCE: THE HINDU ,THE ECONOMIC TIMES , MINT
