Produced by the Population Genetics and Evolution class, Furman University

The Cretaceous: Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus was a large theropod dinosaur. They were bipedal with massive heads, long tails, powerful hindlegs, and disproportionately small forelimbs with two fingers. Tyrannosaurus was one of the largest land carnivores, with the largest specimen measuring 12.8 meters long. To counterbalance its massive weight, some of Tyrannosaur’s bones were hollow (Wikipedia 2010).
Tyrannosaurus exhibited massive growth between the ages of 14 to 18 years old, which most likely correlated to reaching sexual maturity. After, their mortality increases and they only live approximately six more years, probably because of the increased stress of reproduction (Wikipedia 2010).
One of the largest debates concerning Tyrannosaurus is whether it was an apex predator or a scavenger. Tyrannosaurus had unusually well-developed olfactory lobes, and the legs were built for walking long distances with the thigh and calf being approximately the same width (Hutchinson 1995). Finally, Tyrannosaurus was slow compared to the other dinosaurs, only being able to sprint at up to 25 mph, if it could sprint at all. On the other hand, Tyrannosaurus had very good binocular vision and a strong skull that would protect it from collisions (Blaine 2009).

Page by Laura Snyder
Above: Sue, the largest T. rex specimen Photo from: Wikipedia
Below : Tyrannosaurus depicted in the movie, Jurassic Park. Picture from: scrapetv.com

Blaine N. 2009. Tyrannosaurus rex. Cochise College. Accessed on April 6, 2010.

Hutchinson J. 1995. The Tyrant Lizards: The Tyrannosauridae. University of California Museum of Paleontology. Accessed on April 6, 2010.

Wikipedia. 2010. Tyrannosaurus. Accessed April 6, 2010.