Trex

Tyrannosaurus[nb 1] is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs. The species Tyrannosaurus rex (rex meaning "king" in Latin), often called T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the most well-represented of the large theropods. Tyrannosaurus lived throughout what is now western North America, on what was then an island continent known as Laramidia. Tyrannosaurus had a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids. Fossils are found in a variety of rock formations dating to the Maastrichtian age of the upper Cretaceous period, 68 to 66 million years ago. It was the last known member of the tyrannosaurids, and among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.

Tyrannosaurus
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 68–66 Ma
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Tyrannosaurus Rex Holotype.jpg
Reconstruction of the T. rex type specimen (CM 9380) at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification e
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Clade:
Dinosauria
Clade:
Saurischia
Clade:
Theropoda
Family:
†Tyrannosauridae
Subfamily:
†Tyrannosaurinae
Genus:
†Tyrannosaurus
Osborn, 1905
Type species
†Tyrannosaurus rex
Osborn, 1905
Other species
†Tyrannosaurus bataar?
Maleev, 1955
†Tyrannosaurus zhuchengensis?
Hu, 2001
Synonyms
Genus synonymy
Dinotyrannus
Olshevsky & Ford, 1995
Dynamosaurus
Osborn, 1905
Manospondylus
Cope, 1892
Nanotyrannus
Bakker, Williams & Currie, 1988
Stygivenator
Olshevsky, 1995
Tarbosaurus?
Maleev, 1955
Species synonymy
Aublysodon amplus?
Marsh, 1892
Deinodon amplus?
(Marsh, 1892)
Manospondylus amplus?
(Marsh, 1892)
Stygivenator amplus?
(Marsh, 1892)
Tyrannosaurus amplus?
(Marsh, 1892)
Aublysodon cristatus?
Marsh, 1892
Deinodon cristatus?
(Marsh, 1892)
Stygivenator cristatus?
(Marsh, 1892)
Manospondylus gigas
Cope, 1892
Dynamosaurus imperiosus
Osborn, 1905
Tyrannosaurus imperiosus
(Osborn, 1905)
Albertosaurus lancensis
(Gilmore, 1946)
Aublysodon lancensis
(Gilmore, 1946)
Deinodon lancensis
(Gilmore, 1946)
Gorgosaurus lancensis
Gilmore, 1946
Nanotyrannus lancensis
(Gilmore, 1946)
Dinotyrannus megagracilis
Olshevsky & Ford, 1995
Stygivenator molnari
(Paul, 1988)
Like other tyrannosaurids, Tyrannosaurus was a bipedal carnivore with a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to its large and powerful hind limbs, Tyrannosaurus forelimbs were short but unusually powerful for their size and had two clawed digits. The most complete specimen measures up to 12.3 meters (40 feet) in length though T. rex could grow to lengths of over 12.3 m (40 ft), up to 3.66 m (12 ft) tall at the hips, and according to most modern estimates 8.4 metric tons (9.3 short tons) to 14 metric tons (15.4 short tons) in weight. Although other theropods rivaled or exceeded Tyrannosaurus rex in size, it is still among the largest known land predators and is estimated to have exerted the strongest bite force among all terrestrial animals. By far the largest carnivore in its environment, Tyrannosaurus rex was most likely an apex predator, preying upon hadrosaurs, armored herbivores like ceratopsians and ankylosaurs, and possibly sauropods. Some experts have suggested the dinosaur was primarily a scavenger. The question of whether Tyrannosaurus was an apex predator or a pure scavenger was among the longest debates in paleontology. Most paleontologists today accept that Tyrannosaurus was both an active predator and a scavenger.

Specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex include some that are nearly complete skeletons. Soft tissue and proteins have been reported in at least one of these specimens. The abundance of fossil material has allowed significant research into many aspects of its biology, including its life history and biomechanics. The feeding habits, physiology and potential speed of Tyrannosaurus rex are a few subjects of debate. Its taxonomy is also controversial, as some scientists consider Tarbosaurus bataar from Asia to be a second Tyrannosaurus species while others maintain Tarbosaurus is a separate genus. Several other genera of North American tyrannosaurids have also been synonymized with Tyrannosaurus.

As the archetypal theropod, Tyrannosaurus has been one of the best-known dinosaurs since the early 20th century, and has been featured in film, advertising, postal stamps, and many other media.

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