Hereβs 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 Iβm 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.Β
Speaking of eating things, I just want to remind you all that T. Rex hadβby milesβthe strongest bite of any terrestrial animal living or dead, somewhere around six and a half tons of force. Thatβs over six times greater than the current estimate of what AllosaurusΒ was capable of, and three times what was delivered by the highest measured reading of the living title holderβthe estuarine crocodile. It didnβt have to waste time swinging its head open-mouthed likeΒ Saurophaganax for a little extra oomph, or grow fancy serrated teeth likeΒ CarcharodontosaurusΒ 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 thingβs jaws.
βHow did it find something to eat?β I hear you asking. βIt canβt see something if it doesnβt move, right?β
Listen, I love Jurassic Park too, but thatβs 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 animalsβincluding eagles, hawks, and owlsβand that she could likely spot something three and a half miles away. If something that big can see that well, it doesnβt matter if you move or not, sheβd be able to tell if it was an animal trying to hide or a piece of vegetation. SoΒ pray she isnβt hungry if she lays eyes on you. And even if by some miracle she didnβt see you, sheβd still smell you.Β
If she decided you looked tasty, you probably wouldnβt hear her coming as much as youβd feel her. Modern science indicates thatΒ T. Rex didnβt roar like in Jurassic Park, but rather bellowed or maybe even hissed like crocodilians. If she were on to you, youβd most likely feel this sense of unease creep up your spine as a low-pitched rumble in the air permeated through you. You wouldnβt know what it was or where it was coming from until you hear her footfalls. By then itβs too lateβyou could try to run but sheβd probably catch you.Β Thereβs plenty on YouTube that reconstructs what T. Rex may have sounded like, and itβs legitimately haunting.Β Β
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.
β¦and it is nothing if not magnificent.
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