Hereās one good thing to come out of 2020:
Paleontologists completed a life-sized replica of Sue, the most complete T. Rex ever found.
And she is freaking GORGEOUS!
As I read more about this beauty, I found out some new details regarding things I thought I previously knew about the beast that was Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Iām going to share them with you.
First, and most obvious, her size:
This is nothing new, we all figured T. Rex was big, but I for one never stopped to consider exactly how big it was. Nobody ever really knows what to imagine when they read about something the size of a whale that walked around and ate everything it could kill.Ā
Speaking of eating things, I just want to remind you all that T. Rex hadāby milesāthe strongest bite of any terrestrial animal living or dead, somewhere around six and a half tons of force. Thatās over six times greater than the current estimate of what AllosaurusĀ was capable of, and three times what was delivered by the highest measured reading of the living title holderāthe estuarine crocodile. It didnāt have to waste time swinging its head open-mouthed likeĀ Saurophaganax for a little extra oomph, or grow fancy serrated teeth likeĀ CarcharodontosaurusĀ to cut pieces out of its prey. It opted for the simplest approach: get its mouth around something and crush it to death; imagine the full weight of an elephant on whatever was between this thingās jaws.
āHow did it find something to eat?ā I hear you asking. āIt canāt see something if it doesnāt move, right?ā
Listen, I love Jurassic Park too, but thatās a big crock of shit.
Notice how both her eyes face forward. That gives her binocular vision (the ability to focus both eyes on one target, like you and I). More importantly it means she has impeccable depth perception due to overlapping fields of vision from each, large, eyeball. Researchers agree that T. Rex not only had incredible vision, but that it was probably better than most modern animalsāincluding eagles, hawks, and owlsāand that she could likely spot something three and a half miles away. If something that big can see that well, it doesnāt matter if you move or not, sheād be able to tell if it was an animal trying to hide or a piece of vegetation. SoĀ pray she isnāt hungry if she lays eyes on you. And even if by some miracle she didnāt see you, sheād still smell you.Ā
If she decided you looked tasty, you probably wouldnāt hear her coming as much as youād feel her. Modern science indicates thatĀ T. Rex didnāt roar like in Jurassic Park, but rather bellowed or maybe even hissed like crocodilians. If she were on to you, youād most likely feel this sense of unease creep up your spine as a low-pitched rumble in the air permeated through you. You wouldnāt know what it was or where it was coming from until you hear her footfalls. By then itās too lateāyou could try to run but sheād probably catch you.Ā Thereās plenty on YouTube that reconstructs what T. Rex may have sounded like, and itās legitimately haunting.Ā Ā
To wrap all of this up, the one bit of good that came out of the cursed year that is 2020 is that this wonderful child of science and art came into the world, and reaffirmed my respect and admiration for the eight ton slab of muscle and teeth that is this magnificent creature.
ā¦and it is nothing if not magnificent.
I honestly expected like three notes, what happened!?
Palaeontologists are the ones providing the data and advice but donāt give them full credit, this life-sized sculpture was created by ARTISTS, the artist team of @bluerhinostudioā
They also created this Quetzalcoatlus that made the rounds online (image credit goes to National Geographic)
As well as many more amazing sculptures and dioramas, so please check them out here on Tumblr and on Instagram
They are currently working on a new Tyrannosaurus again which will be on display in Europe (image credit goes to Blue Rhino Studio)
Please give the amazing team of Blue Rhino Studio the credit they deserve
Not to kill the buzz but where are the feathers??
As it stands now, there is no evidence for or against feathers on Tyrannosaurus specifically, so either way to depict it would be equally accurate at the moment, if feathers are present they would be on the back and shoulder region as that is the only spot that doesnāt have preserved skin impressions
Below is a handful guide by Dr. Mark Witton who happens to be both a palaeontologist and an artist:
Fun fact! Sue officially uses they/them pronouns! Scientists donāt know if they were male or female. Because of that, and as a gesture of good will to the LGBT+ community, scientists officially use they/them pronouns to refer to SUE the T-Rex!
ā(Please, do not body-shame our T. rex. SUE is perfect just the way they are. And, yes, ātheyā is correct thereāscientists donāt know if SUE was male or female, so in the spirit of scientific accuracy and LGBTQ inclusivity, weāve transitioned to singular āthey/themā pronouns instead of calling SUE āsheā or āher.ā)ā
(Source: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/about/press/sue-t-rexs-new-suite )
āPlease, do not body-shame our T. rexā is the funniest thing Iāve seen in at least 20 minutes
