Tyrannosaurus
rex, from a family of dinosaurs called tyrannosaurids , was first discovered by
Barnum Brown in 1902 in Hell Creek, Montana. Although the skeleton was not
complete, about 30%, Henry F. Osborn described it in 1906.There
was also enough of the skeleton to attempt a reconstruction and it is now on
display at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh.
Tyrannosaurids ranged in size from the
15-foot, 200-pound Nanotyrannus to Tyrannosaurus rex, at 50 feet and 15,000
pounds.Tyrannosaurus rex lived 136 to 65 million years ago during
the Cretaceous Period.The
tyrannosaurids had massive heads, huge bodies, powerful legs, large clawed toes,
and serrated teeth. T. rex arms were relatively small yet were very powerful
with each hand having two fingers.Other
tyrannosaurids include Albertosaurus, Tarbosaurus, Daspletosaurus, and a few
others that are little known. Velociraptor, Troodon, Ornithomimus, and
Allosaurus are close cousins.
Tyrannosaurus rex is
known to every schoolchild and is one of the last non-avian dinosaurs to walk
the earth before the Cretaceous Extinction.There have been fewer than two-dozen good specimens of these
animals found, and the best finds are from areas in western North America.A
listing of Tyrannosaurus rex and other dinosaur exhibits can be found at http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/dinos/exhibit.html
The most famous is “Sue”
which was a nickname given to the most complete, 88 - 90%, of the total skeleton
was found intact.Most of the other T. rex skeletons, including the world famous “Scotty”
skeleton range between 40 – 50% (see Scotty link below).This alone makes Sue an important discovery.
The remains of Sue were
found in 1990 by Sue Hendrickson for whom the T. rex is named.It
was in South Dakota, on Maurice Williams Cheyenne River Reservation Ranch that
“Sue” was found.The Black
Hills Institute used over 130 crates and boxes when it excavated Sue.
In 1992 a legal dispute
erupted into a FBI raid and a lengthy court battle ensued.The
bones were given to Maurice Williams who sold them at Sotheby’s public auction
in October 1997.If you are
interested in the actual court proceedings regarding the disposition of Sue the
T rex go to http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/dinos/jdp/sue/case.htm
where the 1993 opinion of the United States court of Appeals for the Eighth
Circuit can be found. Currently “Sue” is in the Field Museum, which
purchased it with financial support from McDonald's, Disney, the California
State University system, and private individuals.“SUE’s” bones are now on exhibit at The Chicago Field Museum. A CAT scan of Sue's skull can be found at the
following web site: http://www.fmnh.org/sue/skull.html
It was believed, until recently, that T.
rex was the largest terrestrial carnivore of all time standing fifteen feet
high, 40 feet in length, and roughly 6 tons in weight.On
March 10, 2000 the Associated Press (see link below) reported, “Scientists
have discovered the bones of what could be largest meat-eating dinosaur ever to
walk the Earth - a needle-nosed, razor-toothed beast that may have been more
terrifying than even the Tyrannosaurus rex.”The article also noted, “The discovery of the predators' graveyard
challenges the theory that the biggest meat-eaters were loners. It also raises
the possibility that they lived and hunted in packs - which would make them even
more menacing to their prey.”
In addition to the above challenge of
being the largest Carnivore another T. rex “fact” is a current topic of
dispute in paleontology.The
question is whether T-rex (or other Tyrannosauridae in general) were predators
or scavengers.Jack Horner,
paleontologist at the Museum of the Rockies maintains that T-rex could not have
been a predator. His proofs against predation claim the eyes were too small to
see prey, arms were too small to hold prey, while oversized legs resulted in
slow speed. In fact claims Horner, there is no evidence for predation.For
example, no bones showing tyrannosaur tooth marks that had healed in its prey
have ever been found.With this
type of T. rex evidence missing the predator/scavenger debate rages on. The
current belief among most paleontologists is that the large predators, such as
T-rex were 'opportunistic feeders' meaning they would hunt for food when hungry
but not pass up an easy meal of a carcass of a recently deceased dinosaur.
What we do know for sure is that T-rex was
lizard-hipped and lived during the late Cretaceous period.It
had a muscular neck with a huge jaw filled with teeth 6 inches long that was
ideal for tearing and holding prey.These
teeth were serrated like steak knives and were curved back into the jaw making
escape from this deadly bite virtually impossible for any unfortunate prey.
Fossils of the Tyrannosaurus have been found in North America and Asia.
Sue
at The Field Museum - learn all about the largest, most complete
Tyrannosaurus rex, and how its
skeleton is being prepared for display. Includes web cam
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