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We all knew the powerful Tyrannosaurus rex was great. But paleontologists in Canada have identified the biggest lizard king tyrant to date – his name is Scotty, and he is a corker.
From the nose to the end of the tail, Scotty is 13 meters (43 feet) and would have cracked the scales at 8,800 kilograms (19,400 pounds), based on a calculation using his powerful femur bones.
"It's the rex of rexes," said paleontologist Scott Persons of the University of Alberta in Canada.
"There is considerable variability in size between Tyrannosaurus. Some people were leaner than others and others more robust. Scotty illustrates the robust. [It] a little heavier than the others T. rex specimens. "
The bones are not really new. They were discovered in Saskatchewan in 1991, but as they were embedded in fairly solid sandstone, the excavations were a slow and laborious process, taking over ten years.
Then, paleontologists had to collect the bones – another slow and laborious process. But it was worth it, because now these bones are finally revealing their secrets.
For example, we know that Scotty (named after the Scottish whiskey bottle opened to celebrate the initial discovery of the skeleton) was unusually old – he lived longer than any other T. rex discovered to date.
Paleontologists can understand this by examining the bones of a dinosaur. Annual variations in climate and food availability would slow the growth of dinosaur bones, resulting in a ring. These rings – much like the rings of a tree trunk – can be counted to estimate the age of death of a dinosaur.
We thought T. rex had a lifespan of about 30 years; Trix, the oldest ever found before, was around 30 years old.
Scotty spent a year or two on Trix – he died early in his thirties. "By Tyrannosaurus standards, "said People," he had an exceptionally long life. "
Scotty's bones also had many wounds that showed signs of healing. Which means that the old animal that lived 66 million years ago in the Cretaceous had a lot of itching and survived them.
Injuries include broken ribs, an infection of the dino's jaw, and marks on the tail that may come from a bite inflicted by another T. rex in an epic battle.
This can come from tiny origins, but there is a reason T. rex has become one of the most loved missing animals ever to have walked the Earth. As Scotty demonstrates, it was really a great beast.
"I think there will always be bigger discoveries to make," Person said. "But from now on, this particular Tyrannosaurus is the largest known terrestrial predator of science. "
The search was published in The anatomical file.
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