In addition,
the plaster portions of the first reconstruction were based
on the skull of Allosaurus because no other specimens
of T. rex had yet been discovered. The new reconstruction
is based on the more complete T. rex skeletons
that have been discovered since 1902.
Continue reading below for T. rex Facts, Figures, and History. Or, click to go to the Preparators' Journals.
Facts, Figures,
& History
Scientific name
Tyrannosaurus = "tyrant
lizard"
rex = "king"
Classification
Dinosauria: Saurischia: Theropoda: Tyrannosauridae
Age
Late Cretaceous, 65-70 million years ago
Geological
Formation and Locality
Hell Creek Formation; Hell Creek, Garfield Co., Montana
Length
Up to 50 feet (15.2 meters)
Collector
Barnum Brown (American Museum of Natural History), 1902-1903
Collection
Number
CM 9380
Tyrannosaurus
rex was one of the largest predators ever to have walked the
Earth. The skull of Tyrannosaurus rex was up to 5 feet (1.5
meters) long and equipped with 6-inch (15 cm) teeth. It could deliver
a powerful, crushing bite.
T.
rex had massive hind legs and large, three-toed feet. The arms
were small but strong, and each hand had only two functional digits.
The heavy tail counterbalanced the great body weight over the hips.
Carnegie
Museum's specimen is especially important because it was the specimen
on which the original description of the species was based in 1905.
It is thus distinguished by the designation "holotype,"
which means it is the specimen to which all other members of its
species are compared.
Links
to more T. rex info:
1.
Barnum Brown discovers T. rex
Decades
before Hollywood dreamed up Indiana Jones, Barnum Brown personified
scientific adventure. Considered the greatest dinosaur hunter of
the early twentieth century, he had a sixth sense for finding fossils
– it was said that he could smell them!
2.
New York's Loss, Pittsburgh's Gain
While Tyrannosaurus rex is the dominant player in the Dinosaur
Hall lineup, it wasn’t an original
member of the team. It was actually acquired from New York’s
American Museum of Natural History.
3.
The Journey to Pittsburgh
Follow T. rex's voyage from American Museum of Natural History
in New York City to its new home at Carnegie Museum of Natural History
in Pittsburgh.
