Here are some facts about Tyrannosaurus rex.
- Tyrannosaurus rex (or T. rex) is probably the best known of all the dinosaurs. It lived in parts of North America and Asia about 65 million years ago.
- Its name means King of the Tyrant Lizards, but there is much debate as to whether T. rex was a predator or a scavenger.
- Tyrannosaurus rex could grow up to 40 feet long and up to 20 feet tall. It is estimated that a fully grown one could weigh up to 8 tons.
- Compared to its long and powerful hind legs, the arms of Tyrannosaurus rex were very short. Each arm had two clawed fingers and it is thought by some scientists that T. rex used these to grip its prey.
- T. rex had a huge head which could be up to five feet long. Their skulls had several large holes in them to make them lighter.
- Its jaw was four feet long and contained about 60 teeth. The T. rex jaw was easily powerful enough to crush bone and it could rip off massive chunks of meat in one bite.
- T. rex had some of the strongest legs of any dinosaur. It is thought that it was able to run at speeds of up to 25 mph, and could cover 15 feet with each stride.
- Based on the size of its nose, Tyrannosaurus rex probably had a keen sense of smell. However, it also probably had foul breath, due to the rotten meat stuck in its many teeth.
- The eye sockets of Tyrannosaurus rex faced forward, perhaps allowing it to better chase its prey.
- The body size of Tyrannosaurus rex increased rapidly when it was approximately 14 years old. Over the next few years, it would gain about 1,300 pounds every year.
- The first T. rex fossil was found in Montana in 1902. In 1990, a T. rex fossil skeleton was sold to the Field Museum in Chicago for $8 million, a dinosaur record.
What next? Find out more dinosaur facts by checking out our dinosaur resources page.
