Tyrannosaurus is a carnivorous dinosaur. The most terrible predators of the Earth: Tyrannosaurus What does the Tirex look like

In the "Reptiles and Amphibians" section, for the first time we decided to talk about such an animal, which was undoubtedly the king of beasts, if you can call it that. To begin with, we will find out what the tyrannosaurus means in Latin, we will name the closest relatives of this predator. Then we'll talk more about its appearance and size. Of course, an article about the tyrannosaurus would not be complete if we did not tell who he hunted, where and when he lived on Earth.

Tyrannosaurus Rex is one of the most famous carnivorous dinosaurs. Even a modern lion can not be compared with him. It owes part of its popularity to the means mass media, especially the release of the film "Park Jurassic". At the American Museum of Natural History in New York, this is the most beloved exhibit by visitors.

The meaning of the name Tyrannosaurus and its closest relatives

Tyrannosaurus - literally translated from Latin "tyrant lizard". This name comes from the ancient Greek words - "tyrant" and - "lizard, lizard." Rex means "king". So named and first described this dinosaur in 1905 by the famous American biologist and paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborne, who at that time was president of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The genus Tyrannosaurus belongs to the Tyrannosaurus family and consists of only one animal species - Tyrannosaurus Rex - a large carnivorous dinosaur. In addition to it, Tyrannosaurids include another subfamily, which includes Albertosaurus, Alectrosaurus, Alioramus, Chingkankousaurus, Daspletosaurus, Eotiranus, Gorgosaurus, Nanotyrannus and Tarbosaurus.

Dimensions, appearance and structural features of Tirex

The largest and most complete Tirex skeleton ever found was named Sue, after its discoverer, paleontologist Sue Hendrickson. By carefully measuring Sue's bones, the scientists concluded that Tirex was one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs. It was up to 4 meters (13 ft) high and 12.3 m (40 ft) long. Sue's recent analysis, which was published in 2011 in the journal PLoS ONE, shows that the Tyrannosaurus weighed as much as 9 tons (8160 kg to be exact).

The Tirex had powerful hips and a long, strong tail., which served not only as a deadly weapon, but primarily as a counterweight to its large head (Sue's skull is 1.5 m, or 5 feet long) and allowed the dinosaur to move quickly. In 2011, studies were conducted that were able to model the distribution muscle tissue on the skeleton of a lizard. The results suggest that this carnivorous dinosaur could reach speeds of 17 to 40 km/h (10 to 25 mph).

The two-toed forepaws were so tiny that it becomes very unlikely that T. Rex could have used them for hunting or used them to bring food to his mouth. “We don’t know why he needed these small paws,” University of Kansas paleontologist David Burnham said honestly.

Tyrannosaurus has the strongest bites of any animal

A 2011 study of the Tyrex's massive skull, published in the journal Biology Letter, showed that the dinosaur's bite could rightfully be considered the most powerful of the bites of all animals that have ever lived on Earth. These figures reached an impressive figure - 12,814 pounds-force (57,000 Newtons).

Tirex had the strongest and sharpest teeth, the largest of which reached 12 inches in length. But according to a 2012 study published in the journal Earth Sciences, not all teeth performed the same function. In particular, the front teeth of the dinosaur grabbed food, the side teeth tore it apart, and the back teeth already grinded and sent pieces of food further along the alimentary tract. It should be noted that the front teeth were flat and fit much closer together than the side teeth. This ruled out the possibility of breaking a tooth during the capture of the victim, when she was still trying to resist and escape.

Who did the Tyrannosaurus prey on?

This is a huge predator that primarily preyed on herbivorous dinosaurs, including Edmontosaurus and Triceratops. "Hunting constantly, this predator has eaten hundreds of pounds of meat over the course of its life," Burnham said.

“It is possible that Tirex shared his prey, but did so reluctantly,” Burnham said. "He had a hard life, he was constantly hungry and therefore hunted all the time." Note: dragonflies also have to hunt all the time, you can read about this in the article about dragonflies.

“Over the years, evidence has been collected that The main occupation of the Tyrannosaurus was hunting for food.. All of them were indirect and were based only on bite marks, on fallen teeth found near the remains of other dinosaurs, as well as the presence of traces and even entire hunting trails of Tyrannosaurus rex,” Burnham said. But in 2013, in the official journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Burnham and his colleagues finally presented direct evidence of the predatory nature of the Tirex. They found a Tyrannosaurus rex tooth stuck between the tail vertebrae of a duck-billed dinosaur. Moreover, the victim managed to get away from Tirex, and over time, this wound with a tooth healed.

"We found a smoking gun!" Burnham says. “Thanks to this discovery, we now know for sure that the monster from our dreams really existed.”

In the journal PLoS ONE in 2010, the results of analyzes of deep bites and cuts received from Tyrannosaurus rex teeth were published. Yet it is not clear whether Tyrannosaurs were subject to cannibalism, fighting to the death with other relatives, or simply eating their remains.

Scientists are sure that Tyrannosaurus hunted both alone and together with other dinosaurs. In 2014, footprints were discovered in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia that belonged to three dinosaurs from the Tyrannosaurus rex family. Presumably these were Albertosaurus, Gorgosaurus and Daspletosaurus. A study published in the journal PLoS ONE states that at least relatives of T. rex hunted in packs.

In what places and at what time did Tirex live?

Dinosaur fossils can be found in various rocks belonging to the Maastrichtian stage of the late Cretaceous period, which was about 65-67 million years ago, at the end of the Mesozoic era. Tyrannosaurus was one of the last dinosaurs to did not evolve into birds, and lived until the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, during which the dinosaurs disappeared.

Tyrannosaurus Rex, unlike other terrestrial dinosaurs, constantly roamed the entire western part North America, which at that time was a huge island - Laramidia. According to National Geographic, more than 50 Tirex skeletons have been discovered, some of them very well preserved. Even the remnants of skin and muscles are visible on them.

The fossil hunter Barnum Brown discovered the first partial skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex at Hell Creek (Montana) in 1902 and some time later sold it to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Other Tyrannosaurus rex remains are at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

In 2007, scientists discovered the footprint of T. Rex in Hell Creek and published this discovery in the journal Palaios. But if this print really belongs to a Tyrannosaurus Rex, then it will be the second one that paleontologists have found. The first trace was discovered in 1993 in New Mexico.

Mouth shut: they had lips. Perhaps tyrannosaurs were not as toothy as they are usually portrayed. New research suggests that their sharp pearl teeth were hidden behind the labial folds. This discovery could change the typical image of a dinosaur showing off its fanged grin.

The deadly fangs of a Cretaceous predator were covered with a rather thin layer of enamel. To avoid the destruction of the enamel and, as a result, the tooth, such a thin and fragile enamel must be constantly maintained in a moist environment. The study of modern large lizards confirms this theory: all terrestrial species, such as the Komodo dragon, have closed mouths.

Their lipless counterparts, such as crocodiles, live in water, in a humid environment, and do not need additional moisture to preserve the tooth surface. The Tyrannosaurus rex terrified all the inhabitants of the earth (not water!), And he needed lips to protect his 10-15 cm teeth and keep them in excellent combat condition.

Herd mentality: tyrannosaurs moved in packs. This is one of the reasons why you probably don't want to travel back in time to the Cretaceous period. In western Canada, scientists have discovered the remains of three tyrannosaurs moving together. And although the reasons for their death have not been established, scientists have received new information about the habits of tyrannosaurs.

The three tyrannosaurs discovered were mature specimens that had already seen life. All three knew perfectly well how to survive in their cruel world where the dinosaur ate the dinosaur. They were about 30 years old - and this is a respectable age for a tyrannosaurus rex. The skin prints were still visible, and one could even see that one of the dinosaurs had its left leg torn off. They followed each other, but kept their distance. These footprints, left 70 million years ago, are the best evidence that dinosaurs formed into herds.

Transitional age: teenage terror among tyrannosaurs. There is one version that explains why the "Canadian trio" kept their distance from each other. From a very early age, tyrannosaur cubs entered into fierce fights with each other. The remains of one of the young dinosaurs, named "Jane" (although the sex of the animal has not been determined), suggests that the dinosaur was beaten to a pulp by another young dinosaur.

By the face and upper jaw Jane was dealt a heavy blow that broke her nose. The adversary was the same age as Jane: his teeth prints match the size of Jane's teeth. At the time of her death, Jane was 12 years old, and these injuries had already healed, leaving her face forever flattened. This means that the fight happened much earlier, when both dinosaurs were even younger.

By the age of 12, Jane was already a real instrument of death: a baby compared to an adult tyrannosaurus, she reached 7 m in length and 2.5 m in height at the sacrum, and her weight was about 680 kg.

"He or she?": a gender question. Paleontologists are still struggling with the exact sex of dinosaurs. Even dinosaurs with crests, bony collars at the back of their skulls, horns, spikes, and more characteristic features do not have clear gender characteristics. It seems that male and female dinosaurs looked the same.

However, take a look at the famous MOR 1125, also known as the "B-rex", one of the specimens of the Museum of the Rocky Mountains. An information plate near the exhibit confidently states that the remains belonged to a female.

The find of MOR 1125 was remarkable in that the femur of this dinosaur contained soft tissues. Mary Schweitzer, a paleontologist at the University of North Carolina, made a discovery while studying them: she found the so-called medullary bone in the remains. This is a special structure that is chemically different from other types bone tissue, which appears in females before oviposition. Thus, it was proved that the femur belonged to a female pregnant at the time of death.

With this discovery, it became clear that in dinosaurs, as in birds, a sharp increase in estrogen during pregnancy provoked the appearance of medullary bone.

Tyrannosaurus as a dish for dinner. The fierce interspecific fights of dinosaurs did not end with broken noses. If someone's meat was available and the Tyrannosaurus rex was hungry, it could be considered that "the meal is served." Even if it meant the crackling of a cousin's bones.

Dinosaurs needed a lot of meat to survive in the prehistoric world. Lots of meat. The fossilized feces of dinosaurs contain the remains of half-digested bones and flesh. This indicates a fast metabolism in the animal, and the dinosaur quickly became hungry again.

In scientific circles, there is an opinion that tyrannosaurs were cannibals. Separate finds of bones preserved the imprints of teeth, it turns out that the bones of the tyrannosaurus were gnawed by the tyrannosaurs themselves. Scientists are not sure whether they fed on already dead individuals or killed on purpose: most likely, both options are correct.

"To the tooth": the unique structure of the tooth of a tyrannosaurus rex. Dinosaur teeth are a great prop for a horror movie: a dinosaur grabs a victim, sinks its teeth into it, splatters blood, and it is clear to everyone that the victim no longer has a chance. Tyrannosaur teeth were sharp as daggers, but that's not the only reason why they were deadly weapons.

When examining the teeth of tyrannosaurs, scientists noticed cracks, and at first they mistook them for damage (of course, because dinosaurs greedily and frantically devoured food). However, it turned out that this was not damage, but a special structure of the tooth. By trapping the prey, these cracks allowed the animal to be firmly held, minimizing the possibility of escaping from the dinosaur's mouth. This tooth structure is unique. Maybe it is her merit that tyrannosaurs went down in history as one of the largest predators on the planet.

"Little tyrant": a relative of the tyrannosaurus rex. In 1988, paleontologist Robert Bakker announced that a new relative, Nanotyrannus (literally, "little tyrant"), had appeared in the tyrannosaur family. The scientist made such conclusions by studying the find, the skull of a dinosaur from the University of Cleveland. Compared to the head of tyrannosaurs, this exhibit was much smaller and much narrower. In addition, he had more teeth. But was this predator a miniature relative of the tyrannosaurus rex, or was it still its cub?

Few people believed that Tyrannosaurus could change so quickly and so much, and the debate over the degree of relationship between Nanotyrannus and Tyrannosaurus lasted quite a long time. And in 2001, the best-preserved young tyrannosaurus rex was discovered in Montana - it turned out to be the same Jane, which was described above. This teenage dinosaur had much in common with both the Cleveland University find and the large tyrannosaurs.

The dispute about Jane's species remains open - as well as the question of the very existence of the subspecies of tyrannosaurus Nanotyrannus.

Seeing off the mind: intelligence allowed tyrannosaurs to become a super-predator. There is another mystery in the evolution of the tyrannosaurus - and it is again associated with "miniature" dinosaurs.

More recently, in 2016, scientists named and described a new type species of Tyrannosaurus rex, Timurlengia euotica. This name was given to him in honor of Timurleng, the founder of the Timurid Empire in Central Asia: because the main finds that led to such discoveries were made on the territory of modern Uzbekistan. The second part of the name means "good ears" - this individual had long inner ear canals designed to pick up low-frequency sounds.

But the most interesting thing is the size. Scientists could not understand how a dinosaur measuring 3-4 meters in length, with a weight of about 170-270 kg, i.e., in general, about the size of a horse, could survive in ancient world. Moreover: how could he develop into a formidable super-predator weighing more than 7 tons? The answer lies in his intellect: yes, yes, it was the intellect that allowed little predator dominate the cruel world.

"Head off the shoulders": a tyrannosaurus could behead the enemy. Studying the bony collar of Triceratops, scientists have discovered new facts about the habits of tyrannosaurs. On the bone collars of Triceratops, teeth marks were found, which indicated that the tyrannosaurus not only grabbed and gnawed the collar of the Triceratops, but also literally pulled it off. The question is: why would a predator gnaw on that part of the animal where there is no meat?

It turns out that an adult tyrannosaurus bit off the head of a Triceratops. The neck of a Triceratops was considered a delicacy, and the bony collar served as a hindrance. Proof of this is the teeth marks on the neck joints of the Triceratops, which could only be there if the victim's head was torn off.

Terrible cooing of a tyrannosaurus rex: they did not make roaring sounds. To find out what sounds tyrannosaurs made, scientists examined their closest living relatives. Studying the sounds of the so-called archosaurs - crocodiles and birds - paleontologists came to the conclusion that dinosaurs did not make wild roaring sounds that frighten all living things.

If a Tyrannosaurus rex made something similar to what birds make, it must have had an air sac instead of vocal cords. Without vocal cords, a dinosaur would not be able to roar. The real voice of one of the most dangerous dinosaurs might disappoint you: most likely, it was like cooing.

Tyrannosaurus in Greek means "tyrant lizard", it was one of the last existing dinosaurs on the planet. The T-Rex, as it is also called, was the largest and most powerful of the carnivorous carnivorous dinosaurs.

It was larger than a modern elephant, the Tyrannosaurus rex was the size of a tennis court in length and could easily look into the windows of the third floor.

Tyrannosaurus Rex Characteristics

• Length: up to 13 meters
• Height: 4m (ground to hips)
• Skull - 1.5 m.

• • Teeth - up to 31 cm (including root length)
  • Weight: up to 7 tons (perhaps large individuals can weigh up to 9 tons)
  • Lifespan: About 30 years
  • Travel speed: 17 - 40 km / h
  • Epoch: 68-65 million years ago
  • Food: large herbivorous dinosaurs
  • Habitat: Canada, USA (South Dakota, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming).

Tyrannosaurus rex had a massive head one and a half meters in diameter, planted on a flexible and powerful neck. His brain was elongated and narrow.

The dinosaur's eyesight was very well developed, as was its hearing and sense of smell, so it was easy for him to smell prey. The eyes of the tyrannosaurus accurately estimated the distance to the victim and allowed the animal, baring its gaping mouth, to rush and tear the victim to pieces in a matter of seconds.

Tyrannosaurus (Tyrannosaurus), T-Rex is the largest dinosaur predator.

The rows of teeth, arranged in a curve in the upper jaw, resembled a scalpel blade. Tyrannosaurus easily pierced even the toughest skin of animals with sharp teeth, and then tore it into pieces with quick movements of the head. Tyrannosaurus teeth could grow up to 18 cm in length. When teeth wear out, new ones grow in their place.

Body Type Tyrannosaurus T-Rex

Compared to the massive hind legs, the forelegs would seem ridiculously small. The front legs looked like two clumsy appendages, they were useless in attacking the victim and too short to bring food to the mouth. Despite this, everyone knows that the front legs also had developed muscles. Most likely you have seen how domestic animals use their forelimbs to stand up or vice versa to lower themselves to the ground.

Wandered alone or in pairs and followed herds of large herbivores, waiting for weak, young or sick individuals. Sometimes they hunted from ambush in order to catch prey after a short chase, and the tyrannosaurus rex could reach speeds of up to 40 km / h. Most experts are still arguing on this issue, but almost all of them admit that this dinosaur was an active predator and did not refuse carrion.

Very often, the Tyrannosaurus rex is depicted with a steeply raised head, a wide belly, legs apart and a snake tail that drags along the ground. Now we know that with the body of a tyrannosaurus rex is located horizontally, and a powerful tail goes into the back and balances the head. Lately in South America skeletons of an even larger predator, the Giganotosaurus, were found, with a skull size of 1.83 meters in diameter. The largest known skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex was discovered in the sixties in Montana (USA). Its dimensions were 1.5 m.

T-Rex is a terrible predator, which also did not refuse carrion.

Tyrannosaurus rex had a massive, heavy tail that acted as a counterweight to its head.

Tyrannosaurus (lat. Tyrannosaurus - "tyrant lizard") is a monotypic genus of predatory dinosaurs.

A group of coelurosaurs of the theropod suborder with the only valid species Tyrannosaurus rex (lat. rex - "king").

Habitat: about 67-65.5 million years ago in the last century of the Cretaceous period - Maastrichtian.

Habitat: West Side North America, which was then the island of Laramidia.

The last of the lizard dinosaurs that lived before the cataclysm that ended the age of the dinosaurs.

Appearance

A bipedal predator with a massive skull balanced by a long, stiff and heavy tail. The front paws were very small, but very strong, had two fingers with large claws.

The largest species of its family, one of the largest representatives of theropods and the largest land predators in the history of the Earth.

Dimensions

The largest known complete skeleton, FMNH PR2081 "Sue", reaches a length of 12.3 meters, a height of 4 meters to the hip. The mass of this individual during life could reach 9.5 tons.

But fragments were found that belonged to even larger tyrannosaurs. Gregory S. Paul estimates that Specimen UCMP 118742 (81 cm long maxillary bone) is approximately 13.6 meters long, 4.4 meters high at the hips, and weighs 12 tons.

Lifestyle

Tyrannosaurus rex was the largest carnivore in its ecosystem and most likely was an apex predator, preying on hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, and possibly sauropods. However, some researchers suggest that it fed mainly on carrion. Most scientists believe that the tyrannosaurus could both hunt and eat carrion (it was an opportunistic predator).

Body type

The neck of Tyrannosaurus, like other theropods, was S-shaped, short and muscular, holding a massive head. The forelimbs had only two fingers with claws and a small metacarpal bone - a vestige of the third finger. The hind limbs were the longest relative to the body among all theropods.

The spine is composed of 10 cervical, 12 thoracic, five sacral and about 40 tail vertebrae. The tail was heavy and long, acting as a balancer to balance the massive head and overweight torso. Many bones of the skeleton were hollow, which greatly reduced their weight with almost the same strength.

Scull

The largest complete tyrannosaurus skull ever found reaches a length of about one and a half meters. The skull of Tyrannosaurus rex differed from that of large non-tyrannosaurid theropods. His rear end It was wide, and the snout was narrow, thanks to which the lizard had highly developed binocular vision, which allows the brain to form a reliable model of space, estimating distances and sizes. Presumably, this testifies in favor of a predatory lifestyle.

The nasal and some other bones of the skull were united, preventing foreign objects from getting between them. The bones of the skull were airy, it had paranasal sinuses, like other non-avian dinosaurs, which made them lighter and more flexible. These properties signify in tyrannosaurids a tendency towards an increase in bite force, which significantly exceeded the bite force of all non-tyrannosaurid theropods in these lizards.

The end of the upper jaw was U-shaped, while in most non-tyrannosaurids it was V-shaped. This form made it possible to increase the volume of tissues that the tyrannosaurus tore out of the victim's body in one bite, and also increased the pressure of the lizard's front teeth.

Tyrannosaurus rex has a well-defined heterodontism, the difference in teeth in shape and function.

The teeth on the anterior side of the maxilla are D-shaped in cross-section, closely spaced, equipped with a chisel-shaped blade, reinforcing ridges and an inward curvature. Due to this, the risk of breaking a tooth during biting and dragging the victim was reduced.

Other teeth are stronger and more massive, more like bananas than daggers, set wider apart and having reinforcing ridges.

The largest of the found teeth reached a height of 30 centimeters together with the root, being the largest carnivorous dinosaur teeth ever found.

Tyrannosaurids did not have lips, their teeth remained open, like modern crocodiles. On the muzzle were large scales with pressure receptors.

bite force

Research by paleontologists Carl Bates and Peter Falkingham in 2012 suggested that the bite force of a Tyrannosaurus rex was the greatest among all land animals that have ever lived on Earth. According to the teeth marks on the bones of a Triceratops, the back teeth of an adult Tyrannosaurus rex could be compressed with a force of 35 to 37 kilonewtons, which is 15 times the largest measured bite force of an African lion, three and a half times the bite force of an Australian combed crocodile and seven times the bite force of an Allosaurus.

Lifespan

The smallest specimen found, LACM 28471 ("Jordanian theropod") weighed 30 kilograms, while the largest, FMNH PR2081 "Sue", weighed over 5400 kilograms. Histology of Tyrannosaurus bones showed that at the time of death, "Jordanian theropod" was two years old, and "Sue" was 28 years old. Thus, the maximum lifespan of tyrannosaurs probably reached 30 years.

Paleontologists believe tyrannosaurs "lived fast and died young" because they reproduced quickly and lived too dangerous lives.

Posture

The initial reconstructions of scientists depicting the Tyrannosaurus rex, like other bipedal lizards, in the pose of a "three-legged tripod" turned out to be incorrect. The lizards of this type of posture moved, keeping the body, tail and head almost on the same line, horizontal with respect to the ground. The tail was straight and constantly curved to the sides in opposition to the movements of the head.

Forelimbs

The forelimbs of a Tyrannosaurus rex are extremely small in relation to the size of the body, reaching only one meter in length. However, their bones have large areas for muscle attachment, indicating great strength.

Scientists believe that they could serve to get up from a resting position, to hold a sexual partner during mating, and also to hold a victim trying to escape.

The exceptionally thick, non-porous surface layer of the bones of these limbs indicates the ability to withstand significant load. The biceps brachii of an adult Tyrannosaurus rex was capable of lifting a load of 200 kilograms. The shoulder muscle worked in parallel with the biceps, increasing elbow flexion. The T-rex's biceps were three and a half times more powerful than a human's. The massive bones of the forelegs, muscular strength and limited range of motion speak of a special forelimb system of the tyrannosaurus rex, which developed to firmly hold the victim, making a desperate effort to escape.

Leather and feathers

Scientists believe that at least parts of the body of T. rex had feathers. This version is based on the presence of feathers in smaller related species.

Tyrannosauroid feathers were first discovered in the small dinosaur Dilong paradoxus from China's famous Yixian Formation. Its fossilized skeleton, like that of many other theropods from the same formation, was fringed with a layer of filamentous structures commonly thought of as proto-feathers. Larger tyrannosauroids were found to have fossilized scales, so the scientists concluded that the number of feathers decreased with age, because. immature individuals were feathered to keep warm, and by adulthood, large animals had only scales. However, subsequent discoveries showed that even some large tyrannosauroids had feathers over most of their bodies.

It is possible that the number of feathers and the nature of the cover could change in tyrannosauroids depending on the season, changes in the size of the lizards, climate changes, or other factors.

thermoregulation

Most likely, the tyrannosaurus was warm-blooded, as it led a very active lifestyle. This is supported by the high growth rate of tyrannosaurs, similar to that of mammals and birds. Growth charts show that their growth stopped at immature age, unlike most other vertebrates.

Scientists analyzing the ratio of oxygen isotopes in the bones of tyrannosaurus found that the temperature of the spine and tibia differed by no more than 4-5 ° C, which indicates the ability of the tyrannosaurus to maintain a constant internal body temperature due to a metabolism that is average between the metabolisms of cold-blooded reptiles and warm-blooded reptiles. mammals.

Even if a Tyrannosaurus maintained a constant body temperature, this does not mean that it was completely warm-blooded, since such thermoregulation could be explained by an advanced form of mesothermy observed in the leatherback sea turtles that exist today.

Movement

Most of the mass of Tyrannosaurus rex is removed from its center of gravity, it could reduce this distance by arching its back and tail and pressing its head and limbs to the body. Most likely, the tyrannosaurus turned rather slowly, it could make a 45 ° turn in 1-2 seconds.

Tyrannosaurus Max Speed:

According to average estimates, about 39.6 km / h or 11 m / s.

The lowest rating is from 18 km/h or 5 m/s.

72 km/h or 20 m/s.

Numerous footprints of large theropods have been found while walking, but none have been found while running. This may mean that tyrannosaurs were not capable of running. However, other experts noted the greater development of the muscles of the legs of the tyrannosaurus compared to any modern animal, which gives them reason to believe that he could reach speeds of 40-70 kilometers per hour.

For such a massive animal, a fall while running fast could have resulted in fatal injuries. However, modern giraffes can reach speeds of up to 50 km / h, risking breaking a leg or being crushed to death, not only in the wild, but also in a zoo. It is likely that in case of need, the tyrannosaurus also exposed itself to such a risk.

In a 2007 study, a running speed computer model estimated a Tyrannosaurus rex's top speed at 29 km/h (8 m/s). By comparison, a sprinter can reach a top speed of 43 km/h (12 m/s). Max speed a three-kilogram (possibly juvenile) Compsognathus specimen was estimated by the model at 64 km/h (17.8 m/s).

Brain and sense organs

Coelurosaurids had enhanced sensory abilities. This is evidenced by fast and well-coordinated movements of the pupils and head, the ability to pick up low-frequency sounds, thanks to which the tyrannosaurus detected prey at great distances, as well as an excellent sense of smell.

It is also believed that Tyrannosaurus rex had very sharp eyesight. Its binocular range was 55 degrees - more than that of a modern hawk. The visual acuity of a Tyrannosaurus rex exceeded that of a human by 13 times, respectively, exceeding the visual acuity of an eagle, which is only 3.6 times higher than a human. All this allowed the tyrannosaurus to distinguish objects at a distance of 6 kilometers, while a person can only recognize them at a distance of 1.6 kilometers.

Tyrannosaurus rex's heightened depth perception may have been related to its prey items. They were the armored dinosaur Ankylosaurus, the horned dinosaur Triceratops, and the duck-billed dinosaurs, which either ran away or camouflaged themselves and hid.

Tyrannosaurus rex had large olfactory bulbs and olfactory nerves relative to the size of its entire brain, allowing it to smell carrion from a great distance. It is likely that Tyrannosaurus rex's sense of smell is comparable to that of modern vultures.

Tyrannosaurus rex's very long cochlea is uncharacteristic of a theropod. Cochlear length has been linked to hearing acuity, showing how important hearing was to his behavior. Studies have shown that Tyrannosaurus is best at picking up low-frequency sounds.

The eye sockets of the Tyrannosaurus rex were located so that the gaze was directed forward, the lizard had good binocular vision - better than that of hawks. Horner noted that in the tyrannosaur lineage there is a steady improvement in binocular vision, while scavengers do not need increased depth perception.

IN modern world excellent stereoscopic vision is characteristic of fast-running predators.

Tyrannosaurus tooth marks are quite common on Triceratops bones with no signs of healing. Fossils exist showing smaller tyrannosaurids, possibly young tyrannosaurids, successfully hunting large Triceratops.

While examining the "Sue" specimen, Peter Larson found a fibula and tail vertebrae fused after a fracture, as well as cracks in the facial bones and a tooth stuck in the cervical vertebrae of another tyrannosaurus rex. This may speak of aggressive behavior between tyrannosaurs. It is not known for sure whether tyrannosaurs were active cannibals or simply engaged in intraspecific competition for territory or mating rights.

Further research showed that lesions on the facial bones, fibula and vertebrae were due to an infectious disease.

The current view is that tyrannosaurs occupied different ecological niches depending on size and age, similar to modern crocodiles and monitor lizards.

So, newborn cubs most likely fed on small prey, and as they grew, they switched to larger ones. Perhaps the largest tyrannosaurs hunted carrion, taking prey from smaller relatives.

poisonous saliva

There is a hypothesis that the tyrannosaurus could kill the victim with the help of its infected saliva. Between the teeth of a tyrannosaurus rex, rotten remnants of meat could accumulate, a bite of a tyrannosaurus rex infected the victim with harmful bacteria.

Probably, the tyrannosaurus pulled out pieces of meat from the carcass, shaking its head from side to side, as crocodiles do. In one bite, an adult tyrannosaurus rex could tear out a piece of meat weighing 70 kg from the body of the victim.

paleoecology

Tyrannosaurus rex ranged from Canada to Texas and New Mexico. Triceratops dominated among the herbivores in the northern regions of this range, while sauropods of the Alamosaurus species dominated in the southern regions. Tyrannosaurus rex remains have been found in a variety of ecosystems, from inland landmasses to wetlands and arid and semi-arid (arid and semi-arid) plains.

Several notable Tyrannosaurus rex finds have been made in the Hell Creek Formation. During the Maastrichtian era, the area was subtropical, with a warm and humid climate. The flora is represented mainly by flowering plants, met coniferous trees like metasequoia and araucaria. Tyrannosaurus shared habitat with Triceratops and its closely related Torosaurus, as well as the platypus edmontosaurus, armored ankylosaurus, pachycephalosaurus, thescelosaurus, and the theropods ornithomimus and troodon.

Another deposit of Tyrannosaurus remains is the Lance Formation of Wyoming. Millions of years ago, it was a bayous ecosystem, similar to the modern Gulf Coast. The fauna of this formation is very similar to the fauna of Hell Creek, however, the niche of the ornithomim was occupied by the strutiomym. Also there lived a small representative of ceratopsians - leptoceratops.

In the southern regions of the range, the tyrannosaurus lived with the alamosaurus, torosaurus, edmontosaurus, with the representative of the ankylosaurs Glyptodontopelta and the giant pterosaur quetzalcoatl. Semi-arid plains prevailed there, on the site of which the Western Inland Sea previously ran.

Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest land predators in the history of civilization, had excellent binocular vision and a well-developed sense of smell. With mighty sharp teeth, like giant scissors, he tore prey and crushed the bones (not very large) of herbivorous dinosaurs. Such a heavyweight was not a sprinter - he often ate carrion, and the younger generation actively pursued and caught up with prey.

For the first time, a tyrannosaurus, or rather, its skeleton, was discovered in 1902 in the United States.

The reptile moved on two legs, had tiny, short two-toed forelimbs and had huge jaws.

The word "tyrannosaurus" itself comes from two Greek words "tyrant" and "lizard".

It has not been conclusively established whether tyrannosaurs were predators or whether they fed on carrion.
Tyrannosaurs are scavengers. One of the paleontologists, American expert Jack Horner, claims that tyrannosaurs were exclusively scavengers and did not take part in hunting at all. His hypothesis is based on the following statements:
tyrannosaurs had large (relative to brain size) olfactory receptors, which suggests a well-developed sense of smell, which presumably served to locate rotting remains at great distances;
powerful teeth 18 cm long each allow crushing bones, which is required not so much for killing, but for extracting as much food as possible from what is left of the carcass, including bone marrow;
if we assume that tyrannosaurs walked, not ran (see below), and their prey moved much faster than them, then this can serve as evidence in favor of feeding on carrion.

Tyrannosaurus rex were brutal, aggressive predatory killers.

There is evidence in favor of the predatory lifestyle of the tyrannosaurus:
the eye sockets are arranged in such a way that the eyes can look forward, providing the Tyrannosaurus rex with binocular vision (allowing it to accurately judge distances), which is primarily required by a predator (although there are many exceptions);
bite marks on other animals and even other tyrannosaurs;
the comparative rarity of finds of the remains of tyrannosaurs, in any ecosystem the number of large predators is much less than their victims.

Interesting Facts:

While studying one of the tyrannosaurs, paleontologist Peter Larson discovered a healed fracture of the fibula and one vertebra, scratches on the facial bones, and a tooth of another tyrannosaurus rex embedded in the cervical vertebrae. If the assumptions are correct, then this indicates aggressive behavior of tyrannosaurs towards each other, although the motives remain unclear: whether this was competition for food/partner or an example of cannibalism.
Later studies of these wounds showed that most of them are not traumatic, but infectious in nature, or were inflicted after death.

In addition to live prey, these giants did not disdain to eat carrion.

Many scientists believe that tyrannosaurs could have had a mixed diet, like, for example, modern lions - predators, but can eat the remains of animals killed by hyenas.
The mode of movement of the tyrannosaurus rex remains a controversial issue. Some scientists are inclined to the version that they could run, reaching a speed of 40-70 km / h. Others believe that tyrannosaurs walked, not ran.
“Apparently,” writes H.G. Wells in the famous Outline of the History of Civilization, “tyrannosaurs moved like kangaroos, leaning on a massive tail and hind legs. Some scientists even suggest that the Tyrannosaurus rex moved by jumping - in this case, it must have had absolutely incredible muscles. A jumping elephant would be much less impressive. Most likely, the tyrannosaurus preyed on herbivorous reptiles - the inhabitants of the swamps. Half immersed in liquid swamp mud, he pursued his victim through the channels and lakes of swampy plains, such as the current Norfolk swamps or the Everglades swamps in Florida.
The opinion about bipedal dinosaurs - similarities of kangaroos was widespread until the middle of the 20th century. Examination of the tracks, however, showed no tail prints. All carnivorous dinosaurs kept their body horizontal when walking, the tail served as a counterweight and balancer. In general, the tyrannosaurus is close in appearance to a huge running bird.
Recent studies of proteins found while examining a fossil T. rex femur have shown dinosaurs to be closely related to birds. Tyrannosaurus is descended from small carnivorous dinosaurs of the late Jurassic era, not from carnosaurs. The currently known small ancestors of Tyrannosaurus Rex (such as the dilong from the Early Cretaceous of China) were feathered with fine, hair-like feathers. The Tyrannosaurus rex itself may not have had feathers (known impressions of the skin of the thigh of a Tyrannosaurus rex bear a pattern of polygonal scales typical of dinosaurs).

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