Tyrannosaurus Rex
The top predator of the Cretaceous, gone 66 million years ago
Summary
Tyrannosaurus rex ("king of the tyrant lizards") lived in North America 68–66 million years ago and is one of the largest land predators ever known. It could reach 12 metres in length, about 4 metres in height at the hips and around 8 tonnes in weight.
In depth
T. rex was a theropod (two-legged) dinosaur living at the end of the Cretaceous. Its massive skull reached 1.5 metres in length and held about 60 banana-shaped teeth up to 30 cm long including the root, in a jaw specialised for crushing bone. Its two small forelimbs (about 90 cm) probably had specific jobs, perhaps holding a mate or helping it get up from the ground. Feathers have been found on its relatives, and T. rex may have been feathered at least when young. It belongs to the theropod group that gave rise to birds, so today chickens and eagles are among the closest living relatives of T. rex.
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