The Tyrannosaurus rex is the most loved species of dinosaur and the first one that springs to mind when we think of dinosaurs.
Even small children have learnt to pronounce this mouthful of a name, which is Latin for ‘king’. In other words, the Tyrannosaurus Rex is the king of all dinosaurs.
The History of Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs belong to the group of reptiles known as Dinosauria. They existed between 245 and 233.23 million years ago.
This is mind-boggling, to say the least. We had the Permian Period, which ended just under 252 million years ago and ushered in the Triassic Period during which dinosaurs first appeared. We know about dinosaurs from the fossil record.
The first dinosaurs were small, bipedal reptiles. Others that appeared later looked like crocodiles or the pterosaurs that evolved into bird-like creatures with a massive wingspan. There was thus a lot of variety among the different dinosaurs.
The mammaliaformes developed from the synapsids, from which mammals arose. One categorisation of dinosaurs splits them into avian (bird) dinosaurs and non-avian dinosaurs.
The Tyrannosaurus rex belongs to the group of therapods.
These were carnivorous bipedal dinosaurs with short arms and hands that were nevertheless capable of tearing through and holding onto their prey.
As bipedal creatures, their back limbs had to be strong enough for holding the six tons of weight T-rex weighed and move at high speeds to catch their meals.
You only have to think of the Jurassic Park movies and how fast and strangely the Tyrannosaurus rex moved to grasp the great fascination we have with this enormous predator.
Sue is a case in point.
Sue, the Tyrannosaurus Rex
There is a famous Tyrannosaurus rex which is housed at the Field Museum in Chicago. It has been named Sue, although whether it is male or female is anyone’s guess. That we should personalize a Tyrannosaurus rex in this way is yet another indication of our fascination with this amazing creature.
Sue has the accolade of being the most well-preserved skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex ever found. This skeleton is fairly complete, given how long ago Sue was fossilized, and we have been fortunate enough to come upon it. Sue’s fossilized remains were found in South Dakota at the Hell Creek Formation.
What We Know and Love About Sue
The Tyrannosaurus rex was a late-comer to the dinosaur scene and fossils date back to about eight million years ago. It was a carnivorous theropod and was not around for long before the extinction event that wiped the dinosaurs out. This tardy arrival so close to the cataclysmic happening is what has preserved the remains of Tyrannosaurus rex in greater detail than most other dinosaurs.
The length of the Tyrannosaurus rex was estimated at an upper figure of thirteen meters, including its huge and sturdy tail which was key to its balance. It could grow up to a weight of six tons.
The Tyrannosaurus rex was first discovered in 1900 and was originally given the name Dynamosaurus imperiosus.
A lower jaw from these first remains has been placed at the Natural History Museum. The name, Tyrannosaurus rex, was bestowed on the dinosaur five years later. With a North American background, it is little wonder that many people have a T-Rex Skeleton home decoration to express their awe.
Tyrannosaurus rex is king.
