Name:
Tyrannosaurus Rex (Greek for "tyrant lizard king"); pronounced tih-RAN-oh-SORE-us REXHabitat:
Forests and swamps of Asia and North AmericaHistorical Period:
Late Cretaceous (70-65 million years ago)Size and Weight:
About 40 feet long and 7 tonsDiet:
Other dinosaursDistinguishing Characteristics:
Large head with numerous teeth; stubby, almost vestigial armsAbout Tyrannosaurus Rex:
T. Rex is by far the most popular of all dinosaurs, spawning a huge number of books, movies, TV shows and video games. What's truly amazing, though, is how much about this carnivore that was once assumed as fact has lately been called into question.
For example, one controversy that's currently making the rounds among paleontologists is whether T. Rex was a hunter or scavenger. Some experts think T. Rex feasted on already dead prey, since it wasn't fast or smart enough to hunt other dinos down--but it was equipped with features (such as a superior sense of smell) that are found in modern scavengers, like vultures.
As hinted above, we don't know for sure how speedy T. Rex was. Unlike the juggernaut of the Jurassic Park movies, it's possible that this dino sprinted at 10 miles per hour, max--meaning he'd find it hard to outrun a kid on a bicycle!
