Tyrannosaurus Rex

Like other tyrannosaurids,
Tyrannosaurus was a
bipedal carnivore with a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to its large and powerful hind limbs,
Tyrannosaurus fore limbs were short but unusually powerful for their size and had two clawed digits. The most complete specimen measures up to 12.3 m (40 ft) in length,
[4] up to 3.66 meters (12 ft) tall at the hips,
[5] and according to most modern estimates 8.4 metric tons (9.3 short tons) to 18.5 metric tons (20.4 short tons) in weight.
[4][6][7] Although other theropods rivaled or exceeded
Tyrannosaurus rex in
size, it is still among the largest known land predators and is estimated to have exerted the largest bite force among all terrestrial animals.
[8][9] By far the largest carnivore in its environment,
Tyrannosaurus rex was most likely an
apex predator, preying upon
hadrosaurs, armoured herbivores like
ceratopsians and
ankylosaurs, and possibly
sauropods.
[10] Some experts, however, have suggested the dinosaur was primarily a
scavenger. The question of whether
Tyrannosaurus was an apex predator or a pure scavenger was among the longest ongoing debates in
paleontology.
[11] It is accepted now that
Tyrannosaurus rex acted as a predator, and opportunistically scavenged as modern mammalian and avian predators do.
More than 50 specimens of
Tyrannosaurus rex have been identified, some of which are nearly complete skeletons.
Soft tissue and
proteins have been reported in at least one of these specimens. The abundance of fossil material has allowed significant research into many aspects of its biology, including its life history and
biomechanics. The feeding habits,
physiology and potential speed of
Tyrannosaurus rex are a few subjects of debate. Its
taxonomy is also controversial, as some scientists consider
Tarbosaurus bataar from Asia to be a second
Tyrannosaurus species while others maintain
Tarbosaurus is a separate genus. Several other genera of North American tyrannosaurids have also been
synonymized with
Tyrannosaurus.