Shocking Strongest Dinosaur Facts For The Budding Paleontologist In You

Dinosaurs are a group of land animals who inhabited the Earth over 230 million years ago. Dinosaurs are known to have appeared at the beginning of the Triassic period and lived through the Jurassic and late Cretaceous periods.

After that, all dinosaurs were wiped out of this world during a mass extinction that took place around 66 million years ago.

Whatever we know about dinosaurs today, all of the knowledge is derived from fossilized and skeletal remains of these dinosaurs which date back to hundreds of millions of years. Paleontologists have discovered approximately 1,000 different species of dinosaurs from the evidence like fossils and skeletal remains.

It is concluded from fossils that birds are the only remaining descendants of Theropods, who survived the mass extinction which occurred around 66 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Paleogene extinction event.

This article will introduce you to the strongest dinosaur who lived during the late Cretaceous period. This dinosaur is famously known as the Tyrannosaurus rex or T rex for short. Afterward, also read about the dinosaur head and the dinosaur with spikes on its back.

Was the strongest dinosaur a carnivore?

The Tyrannosaurus rex was a Tyrannosaurid Theropod dinosaur, which was a carnivore. The name Tyrannosaurus rex can be translated from Greek to mean ‘tyrant lizard king’, which is derived from the Greek word tyrannos for a tyrant, saurus for a lizard, and rex for a king.

This species is known around the world to be the most strong and dangerous dinosaur. They are also the last known members of the Tyrannosaurids species.

The Tyrannosaurus rex is known for being the most ferocious, deadliest, and scariest of the dinosaur species. This animal is also known to have one of the strongest bite forces among all dinosaurs, the force of which is estimated to be around 431,342 psi (2.97 Pa).

The species of this dinosaur was predicted to be native to the northwestern part of the United States, which at the time was an island called Laramidia. Most of the remains of the Tyrannosaurus rex are mainly found in the northwestern part of the United States, and some parts of Alberta, Canada.

It is thought by paleontologists that T rexes were active predators as well as scavengers. However, there is a lot of ongoing debate on this, as some paleontologists believe that T rexes were complete scavengers.

The Tyrannosaurus rex measured around 13-40 ft (3.9-12.1 m) long on average from the head to the tail end. This animal species weighed about 21,605 lb (9,800 kg) when it reached adult size.

Although the Tyrannosaurus rex was not the largest dinosaur like the Dreadnoughtus or the fastest or heaviest, its strong jaws which consisted of almost 60 sharp, saw-edged teeth made it the deadliest predatory giant.

This dinosaur species is also known to be the fiercest and strongest of all dinosaurs of the era. Being the apex predator, the T rex was also dubbed as the king of dinosaurs.

It's also thought that these dinosaurs had certain deadly bacteria on their teeth, which was able to kill other dinosaurs even if they were spared from the strong bite of the Tyrannosaurus rex.

Can its fossils be found anywhere?

Yes, there are several fossils and skeletal remains found of this particular creature in the northwestern part of the United States, specifically the states of Montana and South Dakota. More fossilized remains of T rex dinosaurs have also been found in some regions of Alberta, Canada.

One of the first fossils of the Tyrannosaurus rex was discovered by a person named Barnum Brown in 1902 during excavations. Barnum Brown was a curator for the American Museum of Natural History at the time.

The remains he found contained approximately 34 fossilized bones. These remains are estimated to date back to at least 90 to 66 million years old, from the late Cretaceous period. Since then, many fossils and even complete skeletons of the Tyrannosaurus rex have been found in surrounding areas by observing various rock formations.

These fossils and skeletons have been extremely useful for determining several things about the species of dinosaurs, such as how they lived and what they ate. It is estimated that there were more than 2.5-billion Tyrannosaurus rexes that roamed around on the Earth during their two million years of existence.

Paleontologists observe microscopic growth rings which can be found in bones to determine the age of many living creatures. Similarly, sedimentary deposits like mud, rocks, and soil are observed by archaeologists and paleontologists to determine the age of fossils.

The observation of growth rings found inside bones and skeletal remains of these dinosaurs has helped paleontologists in determining the age of these creatures.

On average, a T rex had a life expectancy of about 18-25 years. Remains of the dinosaur found during excavations show that the longest living T rex dinosaur lived for 28 years.

What did it prey on?

Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs were carnivorous creatures who killed other species of dinosaurs, mostly herbivores, to survive. Some paleontologists think that these dinosaurs were active predators while some claim that they were scavengers who ate dead bodies of other creatures. There is a lot of ongoing debate on this topic, but definitive answers have not been arrived at yet.

Paleontologists were able to predict the carnivorous nature of these dinosaurs because of their sharp, dagger-like teeth which allowed them to tear the tough muscle and skin off bones of animals.

The Tyrannosaurus rex mostly swallowed whole chunks of flesh rather than chopping or chewing because it had a highly functional metabolism, which meant the dinosaur was able to digest even fleshy pieces of meat which they tore with their huge claws.

It is estimated that Tyrannosaurus rexes were apex predators who preyed on other animals and did not have anyone else preying on them. This creature mainly preyed on other dinosaurs like duck-billed hadrosaurs or armored herbivores like Ceratopsians and Ankylosaurs, and even sauropods.

The T rex is known to have had the strongest bite force with a set of lethal teeth, making it easier for it to subdue its prey even if the prey had a strong armor-like coating on its body for protection.

Surprisingly, there is a lot of evidence that points towards the possibility of cannibalism among the species, especially in cases of scavenging. It is predicted that these creatures ate their own species if they came across one of them dead.

The Strongest Dinosaur In The Jurassic World

It is without a doubt, the Tyrannosaurus rex!

This species is considered one of the most famous dinosaurs from the movie franchise Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. The scene in the movie where the T rex goes on a rampage on the street is one of the most famous scenes of the Jurassic Park movies worldwide.

There is also a fight scene between a Tyrannosaurus rex and a Spinosaurus in the Jurassic World movie, where, no surprise there, the T rex wins!

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for shocking strongest dinosaur facts for the budding paleontologist in you then why not take a look at the fastest dinosaur or what species of dinosaur is Barney?