T Rex was able to outrun any prey, research suggests

T Rex was able to outrun any prey, research suggests

www.telegraph.co.uk

The seven ton reptile, which was 13 feet tall and 40 feet long, was able to outpace any prey due to giant muscles located at the top of its tail.

Previously the tail had been thought of merely as a counterbalance to the weight of the beast's giant head,

Palaeontologist Scott Persons, of the University of Alberta in Canada, said: "Contrary to earlier theories, T-Rex had more than just junk in its trunk."

(visit the link for the full news article)


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www.telegraph.co.uk

Yes the king is back on top! I knew it!

Pretty solid theory in the article, regarding the leg and upper tail muscles. Although to be fair I am not much of a paleontologist. Lets just hope this theory lasts this time, we've had a few depressing revelations about the ole T-Rex in the past, trying to make it out as some sort of lame Hammer Horror villain.

Anyway enjoy, I have also linked in an article about the cannibal nature of the beasts too.

www.telegraph.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Lets see it try to catch me in my hyper-dimensional space craft...and I'm off! *hops on my scooter*...later suckers...

Fair play, it’s just a shame that the T-Rex neglected its upper-body so.

I’m pretty sure that he could beat me in a race but I still think that I could take him in an arm wrestle!

Yeah seems far more likely than it being a 7 tonne scavenger which was recently suggested. I wonder how fast it could run, now that would be interesting.

reply to post by Big Raging Loner


There are not many instances where you can whip out your t rex image appropriately.


Good informative link too is animals.howstuffworks.com...

In contrast to its relatively small arms, T. rex had powerful legs. Its thigh bones were relatively long, a trait common in animals with good running endurance. This suggests that a tyrannosaur's legs were adapting for traveling over­ long distances for long periods of time, perhaps to chase down other dinosaurs.

The idea that T. rex might have been a scavenger has been around since the early 1900s. The most famous proponent of the theory today is John R. Horner of Montana State University. According to Horner and other paleontologists, there are lots of reasons why T. rex may not have been a predator.
­One argument plays off the theory that dinosaurs evolved into birds. Some of the world's largest flying birds, such as condors, are scavengers -- they eat what they find instead of what they kill. By this logic, really big dinosaurs might have been scavengers, just like their really big avian counterparts today.
This is mostly speculative, but some aspects of T. rex anatomy suggest that it was a scavenger. Its nasal passages, for instance, are huge, potentially perfect for smelling faraway carrion. A tyrannosaurus's teeth and jaw are made for biting -- hard. When a T. rex closed its mouth, the lower teeth met the inside of the upper teeth, concentrating lots of force upward from the inside and downward from the outside. This force could break a bone just like you could break a stick if you bend it with two hands.
Paleontologists have also analyzed a coprolite, or a pile of fossilized T. rex dung, and found bone fragments inside. This may mean that the dinosaur relied on picked-over bones for nourishment. To some, the presence of lots of broken teeth also suggests that T. rex chewed its way through bones out of necessity, damaging its teeth in the process.
The scavenger theory applies to a tyrannosaur's body, too. Calculations made by paleontologist James Farlow suggest that T. rex was so massive that it would have sustained life-threatening injuries if it fell while running [source: Hecht]. There's also the matter of T. rex's almost comically undersized forelimbs, which would not be of use in breaking a fall or helping the animal regain its footing.

He seems to be just legs and teeth... balanced by a tail.

I always thought what a wast it would be to have such good predatory tools and then only use them for scavenging, and who is to say it didn't do both? I've always been skeptical of the scavenger theory, at least I doubt T-Rex was exclusively a scavenger.

Originally posted by Soshh
I’m pretty sure that he could beat me in a race but I still think that I could take him in an arm wrestle!

I think the T-Rex strategy to beat the opponents in arm-wrestling would be to bite off the opponent's head!

Didn't they just say a few years ago that it was actually kinda slow and a human could easily outrun it? The FACT keeps changing >:|

The T Rex was also a great actor and suffered from anxiety.

("I don't think I could take that kind of rejection!").

Rex!

Thanks for the link and source OP. Keep up the good work!

A T-Rex is almost like a lion or a tiger. It got in close enough to its prey, charged, and used its power to kill. I don't know how a T-Rex can stalk but a Triceratops isn't exactly as nimble as a zebra either.

Lions and tigers are power predators. They aren't the fastest animals and speedier hunters are more successful in the hunting game. Big cats don't have a lot of stamina like dogs or wolves which can almost always catch (eventually) what they chase.

Just like a lion, the T-Rex probably stole kills from other predators. Lions have a horrible 20% success rate in hunting. Wild dogs, cheetahs, and leopards are much more successful. The lion uses its superior power to benefit from other hunters' hard work. Those tiny but vicious raptors probably gave up a lot of kills to a T-Rex. It would probably be safer and much easier for a T-Rex to shadow smaller predators and wait until they down something then go in and chase everything off. Lions and hyenas do this all the time to leopards and cheetahs.

Big cats don't have any problems scavenging as well. Calling a T-Rex a scavenger only makes it more of an opportunist. The scavenging trait puts a T-Rex even more in line with a lion or tiger.

It isn't a stretch to picture a T-Rex as a menace in the prehistoric world. Just like today's big cats, they aren't the fastest and best hunters but they have the power to rule their world.

Originally posted by Arbitrageur

Originally posted by Soshh
I’m pretty sure that he could beat me in a race but I still think that I could take him in an arm wrestle!

I think the T-Rex strategy to beat the opponents in arm-wrestling would be to bite off the opponent's head!

Two can play at that game! I say bring it on!

So is it possible that the T-Rex wiped itself out and became extinct because of this?

All that power and NO BRAKES!

"I'm gonna getcha, I'm gonna getcha"....thud!

Want to see what he evolved into....?