Tyrannosaurus Rex
Once thought to be "King of the Dinosaurs", Tyrannosaurus Rex indeed looks to be a ferocious creature. Its tremendous stature (40 foot length) coupled with 6 inch teeth, a huge skull and a fighting weight of 7 1/2 tons must have made it a formidable beast to behold.
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Yet there is much debate in scientific circles today over whether Tyrannosaurus was the ferocious killer of reputation. Its name means "tyrant lizard", but it may have been more of a scavanger. This assumption is based on fossil evidence that suggests that it had fairly small eyes and very large olfactory lobes. Which argues that it did not have the keen eye of a predator, but a strong sense of smell that would allow it to more easily find carrion. Some analysts say its back legs were built to travel long distances, but not to carry him much faster than 10 miles per hour. Slower speeds would make it more difficult for this "King" to pursue prey. Also the relatively small arms would have made it more difficult to grapple with a tough opponent. But Tyrannosaurus as predator still has its adherents who point out that the huge creature's terrifying teeth and jaws coupled with its bulk and arguable agility (based on an inspection of his ankle structure) could make it an effective killing machine.
Tyrannosaurus had a long, massy tail that was made up of about 40 vertebrae. The first reconstruction of a skelleton was done in 1915 and at the time it was thought that the dinosaur walked nearly upright. But more recent analysis has shown that Tyrannosaurus walked with his body almost horizontal, as its tail weighed about as much as the portion of its body forward of its legs. Like a scale, it was perfectly balanced at the hips. It lived during the Cretaceous Period of the Mezozoic Era.
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