Eoraptorlunensis is considered the most primitive among all dinosaurs. It received this name in 1993, when in the foothills of the Andes, located in Argentina, in rocks dating back 228 million years, researchers discovered the skeleton of this creature. Scientists classified this dinosaur, whose body length reached 1 m, as a theropod - predatory dinosaurs from the ornithischian order.
Therizinosaurus named the most ridiculous dinosaur
Its legs resembled bird legs, each of which had 4 functional fingers, and at the end of the creature’s muzzle there was a toothless beak.
Sauropods were representatives of the suborder of saurian dinosaurs. They were incredibly different from other monsters long neck and tail. Sauropods walked on four limbs. These herbivorous dinosaurs inhabited most of the land in the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods (208-65 million years ago).
Scientists believe that the heaviest dinosaurs were:
- Titanosaurs Antarctosaurus giganteus (giant arctic lizards), fossils of which were discovered in Argentina and India. Their weight reached 40-80 tons. Moreover, the approximate weight of the Argentine titanosaur (Argentinosaurus) could reach up to 100 tons. Such estimates were made in 1994 based on measurements of the size of its giant vertebrae.
- Brachiosaurs Brachiosaurus altithorax (arm lizards), got their name due to their long forelimbs. The weight of these giants was 45-55 tons.
- Diplodocus Seismosaurus halli (earth-shaking lizards) and Supersaurus vivianae, whose weight exceeded 50 tons, and according to some sources could be close to 100 tons.
The largest and tallest species of dinosaurs
the skeleton of which was completely preserved was discovered in Tanzania, more precisely in Tedaguru, Brachiosaurus brancai. Its remains were found in Late Jurassic deposits formed 150-144 million years ago. Excavations were carried out by German expeditions in 1909-1911. The preparation of the bones and the assembly of the skeleton took place at the Natural History Museum at Berlin's Humboldt University. The dinosaur skeleton was created from the bones of not one, but several individuals in 1937. The total body length of the brachiosaurus was 22.2 m, the height at the withers was 6 m, and the height with the head raised was 14 m. During his lifetime, his weight, according to scientists, reached 30-40 tons. The fibula of another brachiosaurus, also kept in the museum, suggests that these dinosaurs could have been much larger.
The longest dinosaurs were
the brachiosaurus Breviparopus, whose body length could be 48 m, and the diplodocus Seismosaurus halli, discovered in American state New Mexico in 1994, whose body length reached 39-52 m. The basis for obtaining such estimates was a comparison of animal bones.
The smallest dinosaurs are considered
cosmognatus (elegant jaw) that lived in the southern part of Germany and the southeastern region of France and the little-studied herbivorous fabrosaurus that lived in the American state of Colorado. The length of these creatures, from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, was 70-75cm. The weight of the first reached 3 kg, the weight of the second - 6.8 kg.
Ankylosaurs are considered the most armored
of all the dinosaurs that existed on our planet. Their head and back were reliably protected by bone plates, spikes and horns. The width of their body was about 2.5 m. Their main hallmark there was a tail, at the end of which there was a huge mace.
The largest traces of a prehistoric lizard
There were traces discovered in 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They belonged to a large hadrosaur (platypus) moving on its hind limbs. The length of the tracks was 136 cm and the width was 81 cm. Other reports from Colorado and the same Utah spoke of yet another tracks 95-100m wide. According to some data, the width of the hind paw prints of the largest brachiosaurs can reach 100 cm.
The largest skull
belonged to a torosaurus, a herbivorous lizard that wore a huge bone shield around its neck. The length of this dinosaur could reach 7.6 m and weight - 8 tons. The length of the skull alone, together with the ossified frill, was 3 m, and its weight was about 2 tons. This “brainy” creature lived in the territory of the modern American states of Texas and Montana.
In the line of the most toothy dinosaurs
in first place are the ornithomimids Pelecanimimus (bird-like dinosaurs). Their mouths contained more than 220 incredibly sharp teeth.
Owners of the longest claws
were therizinosaurs discovered in the Late Cretaceous sediments of the Nemegt basin, located in Mongolia. The length of their claw along the outer curvature could reach 91 cm. In Tyrannosaurus rex, for comparison, this value was 20.3 cm. Therizinosaurus had no teeth at all, and the skull was quite fragile. This lizard, according to scientists, ate termites.
Spinosaurus, whose total length reached 9 m and weighed about 2 tons, could also boast of its long claws. In January 1983, amateur paleontologist William Walker discovered a 30cm long claw belonging to a spinosaurus near Dorking, England.
The largest eggs
Of all the dinosaurs known to science, it was laid by the 12-meter titanosaur Hypselosaurus priscus, which lived on our planet about 80 million years ago. Fragments of his egg were discovered in October 1961 in the valley of the Durance River in France. According to scientists' assumptions, its overall dimensions were 25.5 cm in diameter, 30 cm in length, and its capacity was 3.3 liters.
Scientists use the tracks created by dinosaurs to determine the speed of these animals. Thus, a trail found in the American state of Texas in 1981 allowed researchers to conclude that a certain carnivorous dinosaur was capable of moving at a speed of 40 km/h. It is known that some ornithomimids could run even faster. For example, the owner of a large brain, the 100-kilogram Dromiceiomimus, who lived at the end Cretaceous period on the territory of the modern Canadian province of Alberta, could easily overtake an ostrich, whose speed can exceed 60 km/h.
The smartest dinosaurs
Troodontids are considered to be those whose brain mass in relation to their body mass was comparable to the same parameters possessed by the smartest birds.
Stegosaurus, which lived 150 million years ago in the modern American states of Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, could reach a length of 9 m. However, the brain of this creature was no larger in size than Walnut, and his weight was only 70g, which was only 0.002% of the mass of his entire body, which averaged 3.3 tons.
If you think that we have told everything about dinosaurs, then this is not so. In fact, open questions and interesting facts there is a lot more about these ancient creatures.
In modern times, the largest carnivore that can be encountered on land is polar bear. But in ancient times such monsters lived on earth, in comparison with which modern predators seem cute and harmless. The selection presents the most dangerous dinosaurs, the ones the victim had almost no chance of encountering.
10. Torvosaurus
In 1979, the remains of an ominous predator from the Jurassic period were found in the US state of Colorado. The new dinosaur was named "torvosaurus", which came from the Latin word torvus - "savage". The length of the body of this monster was 12 meters, and its weight reached 5 tons. Torvosaurus had a big head, massive body and small front paws. He hunted for his victims, running on his hind legs. However, it is likely that its main food was carrion.
9. Tarbosaurus
In the lands that today belong to Mongolia and China, Tarbosaurs lived in the Cretaceous period. The relatives of these huge lizards were the most famous prehistoric predators - tyrannosaurs. The height of Tarbosaurus reached 4 meters, the body length was 12 meters, and the skull with a huge mouth was 1.3 meters long. These predators lived at the very end of the era of dinosaurs and became extinct at the same time as most of the later species - 65 million years ago. In their hunting abilities they were close to tyrannosaurs and posed a threat to all inhabitants of prehistoric Asia.
8. Liopleurodon
Back in the nineteenth century, the remains of one of the most dangerous underwater dinosaurs of times were discovered Jurassic period– Liopleurodon. For a long time There were debates about the size of this dinosaur - figures were given as 15, 17 and even 25 meters. To date, it has been established that this species was relatively small - only 5-8 meters in length. But Liopleurodon had a long skull with many sharp teeth, identifying it as an aggressive predator and a real “thunderstorm of the seas” of its time.
7. Saurophaganax
The name of this dinosaur translates as “reptile eater.” It was larger than Tarbosaurus and was one of the largest predators that ever lived on Earth. These ancient lizards lived on the territory of the modern United States, and in the Sam Noble Museum in Oklahoma today you can admire the life-size recreated skeleton of Saurophaganax.
6. Velociraptor
Most carnivorous dinosaurs had primitive brains and may have been slow and clumsy. In contrast, velociraptors, small gregarious dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period, may well have been conscious and used cunning when hunting. Velociraptors surrounded the prey in a flock and damaged vital arteries with their sharp, tenacious claws. In 2007, while studying the remains of one of these most dangerous dinosaurs, paleontologists discovered tubercles in the elbow area, which indicate that the body of the velociraptor was covered with feathers.
5. Allosaurus
One of the most dangerous dinosaurs is the Allosaurus. Thanks to the fact that many remains of these dinosaurs have been preserved, scientists have been able to obtain the most complete understanding of the lifestyle of allosaurs. These lizards were of impressive size: 11 meters in length, 4.5 meters in height. The mouth contained sharp, curved teeth. Such teeth were discovered next to the bones of the huge herbivorous Apatosaurus. The remains of the Apatosaurus preserved traces of monstrous injuries - the Allosaurus that attacked it tore the body of its victim with unimaginable force. But not only teeth were the weapon of this prehistoric predator. Huge claws were found on its paws, with which it tore its prey.
4. Carcharodontosaurus
When the remains of Carcharodontosaurus were first found in 1925, scientists thought they had discovered the skeleton of another Allosaurus. However, further research disproved their theory. The newly discovered species lived in Africa, weighed more than seven tons and was longer than the tyrannosaurus rex in body length - 14 meters from nose to tip of tail. It got its name (literally “lizard with shark teeth”) thanks to its huge teeth, reaching 13 centimeters. Both the front and hind legs of Carcharodontosaurus were equipped with sharp claws. Its impressive size allowed it not only to hunt the largest herbivores, but also to take prey from other predators.
3. Utahraptor
In the territory North America in the early Cretaceous period there lived predators that, although they were significantly smaller than the giants of the decline of dinosaurs (only 5-7 meters in length!), nevertheless posed a threat to the largest herbivores. Utahraptors are lizards of the dromaeosaurid family that had long, pointed claws on their hind legs. Presumably, Utahraptors hunted in packs, could develop high speed and had the rudiments of intelligence, which made them the most dangerous dinosaurs.
2. Giganotosaurus
Giganotosaurus is the largest carnivorous lizard, rivaled only by Spinosaurus. The length of its body reached 15 meters, and its huge head was almost twice as large as that of a tyrannosaurus. Despite its impressive size, Giganotosaurus had a primitive level of development and was inferior to tyrannosaurs in hunting skills. However, his body was flexible, thanks to which he was able to strike his victim with lightning speed.
1. Tyrannosaurus
The most famous and dangerous dinosaur of the Cretaceous period is the Tyrannosaurus rex. He deservedly gained the fame of a killer dinosaur - he had excellent vision, developed hearing and jaws with a death grip. Moreover, the remains of several adults were found moving together. From this, scientists concluded that tyrannosaurs could have been school animals. Other evidence suggests that they could even attack members of their own species - perhaps this is how they divided their territory. To kill, tyrannosaurs used everything: teeth, claws, a strong body and even a tail. These predators went extinct along with other dinosaurs during the great extinction event 65 million years ago.
They probably lie in the movies: what if in life real dinosaurs were simple-minded, slow, vulnerable, good-natured people? MAXIM's paleontology editor responds with this list of the most dangerous giant lizards.
Oleg "Orange" Bocharov
The hero of many frightening films, the sinister and carnivorous pteranodon, in real life(just like pterodactyls and rhamforins) ate mainly fish, paying little attention to people. True, it should be taken into account that there were no people then. If he lived in our time, he would pose a considerable danger, since with a 15-meter wingspan and a weighty beak, he can kill purely by accident, with one sneeze, while trying to take a can of delicious sprats from a person.
It is similar to a Tyrannosaurus rex and is often replaced in many films when the Tyrannosaurus is unavailable or sick (for example, in the film "A Sound of Thunder"). It is believed to have reached 8 and a half meters in length and 3 and a half meters in height. Scientists are debating whether Allosaurus was a collective animal or lived separately, outside the pack. There are two arguments here: on the one hand, allosaurus bones are found in bulk from many individuals. On the other hand, the creature was too aggressive to live together in large society. However, to devour a person, even one Allosaurus, even the most recent outcast loser, is enough.
Known to science for a long time, since the nineteenth century. It weighed one and a half tons and was nine meters long. He ate other smaller lizards. There was something akin to a horn on the head, so Majungasaurus worked not only with its teeth, but also with its head. It is believed that he had poor vision, but had a strong sense of smell. So in modern times it could be used to find drugs and eat drug lords.
It is not clear why this creature was called Sarcosuchus. They would immediately call it “a huge crocodile”, and it would immediately be clear who they were talking about. The great-great-great-grandfather of the crocodile Gena grew up to 12 meters and fattened up to 6 tons. It is twice the size of any modern crocodile; if a sarcosuchus crosses the road, this is a very, very bad omen.
A four-ton predator 12 meters long. Scientists on the sidelines say that a more massive species of carchadontosaurs could live in Nigeria - 14 meters long and weighing 9 tons. He was a lone hunter, and he was probably pretty good at it. Most likely, he simply died out of boredom when he realized that he had already achieved everything in this life.
A true showbiz superstar, old T. rex is no longer considered the largest fossil land predator. They still make films about it, write books and tell stories, since it was the tyrannosaurus in the old school programs portrayed as the main embodiment of evil. And yet paleontology does not stand still!
However, if the T. rex saw you, it wouldn’t stand still either - its pumped up hind legs carried a two-ton mass at breakneck speed, and its jaws could bite through the body armor of most herbivorous lizards. What can we say about you? You won’t even hear him approaching in your headphones.
A seven-meter mobile school predator. The brain cavity in the cranium is closer in volume to birds than to other predatory lizards. Hence the logical conclusion of paleontologists that Utahraptor could have been more cunning and smarter than a typical dinosaur. But still, the Utahraptor was hardly such an insidious intellectual as Hollywood scriptwriters imagine it to be in a narcotic stupor - after all, birds are also different, compare the behavior of city sparrows and these hillbilly hens at your leisure.
In movies, Utahraptors are not as frequent guests as Velociraptors, which is strange, since Utahraptor is four times larger and just as many times more dangerous (according to police reports).
The largest complete skeleton of this African resident, after measurement, showed a length of 12 meters. However, there is good evidence to suggest the existence of specimens as long as 18 meters in length, so Spinosaurus may well be in contention for the top spot on this list. The Spinosaurus is an extremely unpleasant creature in appearance, according to the identikit. True, some paleontologists offer an alternative vision, even more unpleasant - with a hump and trunk - since, according to their version, he ate mainly fish. Check this at your first meeting.
Compsognathus was once considered the smallest dinosaur. But thanks to the discovery of new smaller species, Compsognathus lost this title, but, nevertheless, it is one of the smallest dinosaurs.
Compsognathus
Compsognathus was a small dinosaur that walked on two hind legs. It was a theropod, which is a group of carnivorous dinosaurs that includes giants such as T Rex and Spinosaurus.
Compsognathus may have been covered in a special type of feather. However, no direct evidence of this has been found.
Compsognathus is actually a genus, which in biology means a group of closely related species. However, there is only one species in this genus so far: Compsognathus longipes (scientific species names always have two words).
The name Compsognathus means elegant/graceful jaw. This mini dinosaur, about the size of a turkey, was about 1 meter (3.28 feet) long and weighed between 0.8 and 3.5 kilograms (1.8 and 7.7 pounds).
Fossilized remains of Compsognathus were found in Germany and France. This dinosaur lived about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period.
Parvicursor remotus
Parvicursor remotus, whose name means "little runner", was a very small dinosaur with long, thin limbs. Scientists obtained all the data about Parvikurs only on the basis of studying one incomplete skeleton, consisting only of the pelvis and hind limbs.
The only species of Parvicurs is Parvicursor remotus. He lived in what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period.
Parvicursor remotus may well lay claim to the title of the smallest dinosaur remains found to date. It was about 39 cm (15 in) long and weighed only 162 grams (5.71 oz).
Microraptor zhaoianus
Microraptors were small bird-like dinosaurs. These were the first feathered dinosaurs that paleontologists found. These dinosaurs had feathers on their front and hind legs, and Microraptors were described by experts as "four-winged dinosaurs."
It is believed that the most big representatives microraptors reached about 1.2 m (3.93 ft) in length.
Pigment cells were found in fossilized bone samples of Microraptor. This indicates that microraptors had black colorings, perhaps with an iridescent tint similar to the coloration of the modern starling.
Perhaps these dinosaurs could fly or hover like a glider in the air. They could jump from branch to branch.
More than 300 microraptor fossils have been discovered, and it is believed to be one of the most common dinosaurs in its ecosystem.
Incredible facts
Emerging about 230 million years ago, during the mid-Triassic period, dinosaurs began their existence on earth as small carnivores that eventually grew into thousands various types, ranging from tiny predators the size of a small dog to huge plant eaters weighing more than 80 tons. Although other prehistoric stars such as pterodactyls and ichthyosaurs often mated with dinosaurs, these large lizards(this is how “dinosaur” is translated from Greek) were strictly terrestrial reptiles. They also differed from other animals in having unique sets of features, such as the extension of jaw muscles throughout the skull, which was unique to them.
These traits were probably very impressive as they allowed these most fascinating prehistoric creatures to dominate the earth for over 160 million years. Although researchers are learning more and more about the mysterious beasts every day, with more and more specimens constantly being discovered, below are the 10 largest, most interesting and unusual dinosaurs discovered. To begin with, let us introduce you to a dinosaur, in which at first glance there is nothing remarkable, but this is only at first glance, until you hear how it “sings”.
10. Parasaurolophus
Some dinosaurs amaze us with their size, others with their speed, and others with their cruelty. This dinosaur is famous for its nasal cavity. It was not particularly large in size, did not develop great speed and did not have sharp teeth, long claws, or barbed tails. But if you have a special auditory cortex that can detect the movements of predators from afar, and thanks to which you can warn all your fellow humans about approaching danger, you don’t need any of the above signs.
The herbivorous member of the hadrosaurs family still possessed distinctive feature– he had a curved crest on his head. This ridge may also have been used to attract a mate or for identification, starting from the nose and extending over the entire head. The length of the ridge was 2.4 meters, and it consisted of several tubes. When the dinosaur made sounds with its "trombone", the frequency was very low and the sounds were very similar to a siren. This so-called "infrasound" was capable of traveling over very long distances, thereby warning other members of the group that danger was approaching. Combined with very good hearing and the ability to detect predators at long distances, these features were all that was needed to always be safe.
9. Sinornithosaurus
This dinosaur, whose name stands for Chinese bird lizard, was small size an individual, like a turkey, and belonged to a family of predators. Sinornithosaurus became popular after scientists discovered in late 2009 that feathered predator, perhaps, was also “poisonous”. While other dinosaurs had only shown possible signs of the ability to inject venom into prey, the conclusions regarding this dinosaur left no doubt.
Possessing some similarities with other poisonous animals, for example, with snakes, these dinosaurs had a special large pointed tooth through which the poison flowed. The researchers also discovered a special channel in the animal's mouth, which housed a gland where the poison accumulated and from where it entered directly into the tooth itself. The back teeth of Sinornithosaurus were shorter and wider, and were intended for chewing. It is likely that it used its fang to inject venom into prey such as birds, pterosaurs, lizards and mammals, and then ate them. This method is not much different from the tactics of poisonous snakes existing today.
8. Ankylosaurus
Measuring 10.7 meters long and weighing 3-4 tons, this dinosaur had virtually no rivals when it roamed the earth in the Late Cretaceous period. With its back and sides covered in steel-plate-like spines, bony eyelids and bony "defense mechanisms" surrounding the outside of its skull and jaws, this herbivorous dinosaur appeared to be completely covered in armor. However, apparently this was not enough for nature, and she also awarded him with a massive tail, capable of delivering blows with a force of about 43,000 pounds.
Thanks to superior muscle tail and "floating" vertebrae, its tail swung like a whip at an angle of 45 degrees in any direction at a speed of 77 km/h. In addition to everything, there was also 45 kg of bone mass on the tail, which could easily kill any opponent without even looking. The only thing that does not fit into the image of this mighty animal is its small beak, which was designed for chewing plants.
7. Oryctodromeus Cubicularis
How could a dinosaur weighing almost 32 kg survive in conditions inhabited by animal predators that were tens of times larger than itself? In the case of these little ones herbivorous dinosaurs, who lived at the beginning of the Cretaceous period, they quickly “disappeared”.
By digging small holes and hiding in them from predators, they thus managed not only to protect themselves, but also to wait out the harsh weather. Based on remains discovered in Australia and Montana, researchers have concluded that Oryctodromeus, whose name translates to “den-digging runner,” was a master digger. The dinosaur had a snout that it probably used as a shovel, strong shoulder muscles, and strong hip bones that it used to crawl underground. However, even if all this did not help him escape from a suddenly appearing predator, he would use his long, strong hind legs to quickly escape from danger.
The hole in which the remains of the dinosaur were found corresponded exactly to its size, so that dangerous predator couldn't get into it. Despite the fact that the dinosaur was about 2 meters long (not too impressive), half of this size was taken up by the tail. The fact that the bones of two more juvenile dinosaurs were also found in the burrow indicates that parental care was practiced among these dinosaurs.
6. Spinosaurus
Tyrannosaurus Rex is often portrayed as the most feared predator in films about dinosaurs, however, the palm in this case is borne by Spinosaurus, which is considered the largest carnivore in the world that has ever existed on earth. Weighing 9.9 tons, Spinosaurus, which means "vertebrate lizard" in Greek, got its name from the distinctive "fins" on its back covered in long spines. This impressive "sail", which could serve as a built-in thermostat, a mating decoy or simply for intimidation, reached a height of 2 meters when the spinosaurus arched its back.
Another distinguishing feature of this dominant predator of its period was its 2-meter head (the longest of any known meat-eater) and a narrow snout full of knife-like teeth. Although most other carnivorous dinosaurs had curved teeth, Spinosaurus's teeth were straight, perhaps to help catch slippery prey. Based on the similarities between this prehistoric creature and a crocodile, Spinosaurus also likely grabbed its prey and swung its head around. different sides, thereby finishing her off.
5. Sauroposeidon
Although predators like Spinosaurus were often seen as animals whose lives were quite hard, since finding, eating and digesting food was not an easy task for a 60-ton body, the 18-meter tall and 30-meter long Sauroposeidon belongs to the family of carnivorous sauropods , was the tallest terrestrial animal to ever exist. Moreover, the neck alone was 11 meters long.
His physique meant that he had to consume about a ton of vegetation every day, an almost endless task. To accomplish this feat, the dinosaur had 52 chisel-shaped teeth that cut down plants in one fell swoop. He didn’t even bother chewing his food, swallowing tasty vegetation, which immediately ended up in a 1-ton stomach the size of a swimming pool. Then his gastric juice, which had incredible power and could even dissolve iron, did the rest of the work. The dinosaur also ingested rocks, which helped it digest fiber.
It's good that the dinosaur worked so well digestive system, because with a life expectancy of 100 years (one of the longest in the dinosaur kingdom) and in the absence of such a metabolism, it would age very quickly.
4. Deinonychus
This dinosaur got its name for an obvious reason, since it means “terrible claw”, and this clearly describes its nature. The bird-like dinosaur was approximately 1.5 meters tall, 3 meters long and weighed about 91 kg. However, despite his rather modest characteristics, he developed great speed when moving, was smart and had a good arsenal of defense.
Its hind and forelimbs were equipped with razor-sharp and long and curved claws, about 13 cm long. With these claws, he not only grabbed prey with a death grip and tore the unfortunate victim to shreds, he also used them when walking. Deinonychus also had an impressive tail, which he used for balance when he stood on one leg while fighting the other with the other.
As one of the deadliest hunters of his period, Deinonychus was a force to be reckoned with.
3. Triceratops
If any dinosaur could withstand the wrath of Deinonychus and its ilk, it was the Triceratops. A large, heavy and horned dinosaur, it was one of the most dangerous animals living on land. This species both attacked and defended itself very well.
The dinosaur had a nose in the form of a horn, and one horn above each eye, up to 1 meter long, so its weapon, consisting of the strongest materials, could easily gore even the most formidable enemy. For armor, Triceratops used a 2-meter-long shell protecting its head and neck, which is 6 times thicker than a human skull. However, in addition to its defensive characteristics, this shield also served as a regulator of body temperature and to attract partners for copulation.
This “steroid rhinoceros” was half the height of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, but also weighed about 6 tons. The positioning of the dinosaur's limbs also provided it with significant advantages. In a pose with straight, splayed limbs, the center of gravity was directed toward the head, which was ideal for a powerful frontal attack.
With such an incredibly equipped number of characteristics, Triceratops was the most common dinosaur of its time.
2. Tyrannosaurus Rex
Most famous dinosaur in the world, Tyrannosaurus Rex was the dominant predator for 25 million years. With extremely keen senses, a bite force 16 times stronger than a crocodile's bite, and seven tons of pure muscle, this is one dinosaur that definitely lives up to its name, which translates to "Tyrant Lizard King."
One of the dinosaur's most impressive features was its head. The size of an adult, its head was 2/3 muscle and weighed about 454 kg. The strongest jaw with 50 teeth, each of which was up to a foot long, could easily bite through a car. The brain of Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the largest in relation to the body of the animal among the entire animal kingdom of the prehistoric period, which was well suited for analyzing information visible to the eyes. By placing its eyes 41 cm apart, Tyrannosaurus had excellent binocular vision and could see fine details up to 6 km away. The large olfactory bulbs in the Tyrannosaurus's brain suggested that its sense of smell was as strong as its vision. According to some reports, the strength of his nose was equal to the strength of 1000 bloodhounds.
Contrary to what you might have seen in the movies, Rex could not run fast. Based on the ratio of the length of his femur to his tibia, he most likely developed negligible speed when running. However, with such highly developed senses, steel jaws and dagger-sharp teeth, did he really need speed?
1. Archeopteryx
Is it a bird or is it a dinosaur? This is... Archeopteryx!
A transitional link between birds and reptiles, this animal has perhaps generated more controversy than any other. Moreover, the debate is so heated that until now scientists have not been able to come to a real consensus regarding its classification. Although its remains, first discovered in 1861, clearly had feathers similar to those of modern birds, they were also strikingly similar to the remains of small carnivorous dinosaurs found. As a result, today Archeopteryx occupies a worthy place both among primitive birds and among feathered dinosaurs.
About the size of a crow, Archeopteryx had a wingspan of 0.6 meters, but it also had the characteristics of a dinosaur, which included sharp teeth, a flat sternum, a bony tail and claws. It is still unclear whether this curious creature used its feathers for flight, temperature regulation, or both. However, the flat chest indicated that even if they did fly, they did not do so for long periods of time.
Regardless of its flying prowess, Archeopteryx's status as the first known bird laid the foundation for our current understanding of how birds evolved.