Tyrannosaurus rex
tie-RAN-oh-SORE-us REX
"Tyrant lizard king"
Overview
Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest and most powerful theropod dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth. A apex predator of Late Cretaceous North America, it possessed an immense skull, banana-sized serrated teeth, and bite forces estimated at up to 12,800 pounds — the strongest of any land animal known.
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Countries Discovered
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Interesting Facts
T. rex could bite through bone, and fossilized droppings (coprolites) show it crushed and consumed entire skeletons.
Its brain was unusually large for a reptile, with highly developed olfactory lobes suggesting an extraordinary sense of smell.
Recent studies suggest T. rex may have been covered in scales rather than feathers as an adult.
Specimen 'Sue' (FMNH PR2081) is the most complete T. rex skeleton ever found, at over 90% complete.