The Largest T. Rex Could Have Been 70 Percent Heavier ...

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Dino walk.

Around 66 million years ago, the iconic and terrifying Tyrannosaurus rex roamed the planet. Though scientists have only been able to get their hands on a small number of fossil skeletons of the dinosaur, they know it was one of the largest carnivores to ever walk the Earth.

Now, two researchers have used computer modeling to reveal that the biggest T. rex ever might have been 70 percent heavier and 25 percent longer than the largest T. rex skeleton known today. Their study was published last week in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

&#;Our study suggests that, for big fossil animals like T. rex, we really have no idea from the fossil record about the absolute sizes they might have reached,&#; study co-author Jordan Mallon, a paleobiologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature, says in a statement.

That&#;s because there are so few known T. rex skeletons&#;only about 30 have ever been found. So, it is statistically unlikely that these specimens would happen to represent the largest individuals of the species.

However, &#;some isolated bones and pieces certainly hint at still larger individuals than for which we currently have skeletons,&#; co-author David Hone, a paleontologist at Queen Mary University of London, adds in the statement.

To estimate just how big T. rex could have gotten, Mallon and Hone turned to computer modeling. They factored in attributes including the species&#; growth rate, lifespan, population size, body size variation and the incompleteness of the fossil record.

While most of these details are well-understood for T. rex, the team needed to extrapolate body-size variance. They used two different methods&#;one that took into account potential sexual dimorphism, or a difference in size or appearance between males and females, and one that assumed sex did not affect a T. rex&#;s size. To build the model with dimorphism, the team followed the size differences of alligators, the T. rex&#;s modern-day kin.

&#;If T. rex was dimorphic, we estimate that it would have weighed up to 53,000 pounds (24,000 kilograms), but we rejected that model, because if it were true, we would have found even larger individuals by now,&#; Mallon tells Live Science&#;s Jennifer Nalewicki.

The current heavyweight champion represented by the known T. rex fossils is a specimen called Scotty, which weighed an estimated 19,555 pounds and grew 39 feet in length. In , Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, told New Scientist&#;s Colin Barras that Scotty was &#;probably our best look yet at what one of the largest, oldest, most fully grown adults would have looked like.&#;

But Scotty now seems trivial next to Mallon and Hone&#;s final upper-bound estimate for the T. rex, which comes from their second model: 33,000 pounds and over 49 feet long. That&#;s heavier than the average school bus, which clocks in at around 24,000 pounds.

&#;This reminds us that what we know about dinosaurs isn&#;t much at all, since the sample sizes are so small,&#; Thomas Carr, a vertebrate paleontologist at Carthage College who wasn&#;t involved in the new research, tells Live Science. &#;To imagine a T. rex of that magnitude is extraordinary, and I think an animal of that size is within reach statistically.&#;

Scotty and other large T. rex fossils probably belonged to individuals that were in the top 1 percent biggest specimens of the population. To find fossils in the top 0.01 percent range would take paleontologists 1,000 more years of work, the team estimates, assuming excavations continue at the current rate.

&#;It&#;s important to stress that this isn&#;t really about T. rex, which is the basis of our study, but this issue would apply to all dinosaurs, and lots of other fossil species,&#; Hone says in the statement. &#;Arguing about &#;which is the biggest?&#; based on a handful of skeletons really isn&#;t very meaningful.&#;

At the end of the day, the paleontologists stress that their results are &#;simply a thought experiment with some numbers behind it&#; for now, Mallon tells Live Science. Until paleontologists discover physical proof of such a gargantuan creature, all they can do is speculate.

Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

The year is coming to a close for the world's largest T-Rex.

Scotty, the world's biggest tyrannosaurus rex ever unearthed, will have to wait till next year before seeing anyone new. That's because the T-Rex Discovery Centre will be closing for the season this weekend. 

While this summer was a little slower than in years prior, it was still a Jurassic action-packed couple of months for . 

Aimee Castillo, the visitor experience supervisor at the T-Rex Discovery Centre, was thrilled to see everyone who made it out to experience the displays, fossils, and events they hosted. 

"We still had a lot of fun this summer and welcomed over 8,000 visitors," said Castillo. "It was still an amazing summer."

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit T Rex Ride.

Folks who came down to Eastend to visit Castillo and the other dinosaur experts working the Centre were able to learn about all sorts of dinosaurs, like the newest addition, Omâcîw the Tylosaurus, on display. 

"We have the background that shows what a tylosaurus looked like instead of just the skeleton," commented Castillo. "It gives the public a better picture, or better visual, on what the species looked like."

Omâcîw was an ocean-dwelling creature, being adapted to hunting their prey in what would have been an inland sea that covered modern-day Saskatchewan. Living during the late Cretaceous period, the likes of Omâcîw haven't seen the light of day in 70 million years.

Outside of the new and recently uncovered, there was plenty still being uncovered by the paleontologists who work through the summer at the Centre. 

"The fossils that we've collected and the ones that our paleontologists brought, the students were preparing those," said Castillo. 

Paleo Students who work throughout the summer can often be seen cleaning specimens, and removing bits of earth and cast from the fossils. They are freely approachable and are often quite happy to answer any questions you have about what they are doing. 

The area the fossils are cleaned in is the same space many of the classes from earlier in the summer do their projects in, called the Paleo Lab. 

"We invite different schools from neighbouring towns to visit us," explained Castillo. "We had a lot of schools this year as well, so that was nice to offer."

June is often the busiest month for the Centre, as kids come from the classroom to the Centre to learn about dinosaurs, paleontology, and some fun stuff about the work surrounding them. 

A newer program was also opened up for high schools, offering teenagers a chance to learn about biology and evolution at the Centre. 

Kids often enjoy playing in the Paleo Lab, which includes various fossil tables, where children dig up dinosaur bones and other bits. Another is the topography table, which lets children freely mould some sand, onto which a projector displays the different height levels, defining a sea level, and even mountain tops. 

One of the cooler displays is the microscope. A case of specimens is provided, allowing the user to examine them up close on a screen. One of the best is a piece of amber with a mosquito in it, like the one from the motion picture, Jurassic Park. 

Of course, with a topic as big as dinosaurs, not everything can be done inside the centre itself. They offer a trail to be explored, and a few spots to be examined. 

Also, the members of the Centre tend to venture into Eastend to partake in bigger events. The biggest and most looked forward to event is Dino Days, in which Castillo and other members break out some puppets for each year to bring along in the parade. 

"It's great to have visitors from all over," said Castillo. "It's when we offer our one-day dinosaur treasure hunt and that's always nice to plan and to see visitors enjoying the program."

There is still time this year, with the Centre closing only after this weekend. If anyone wants to make the drive down for one last trip, Castillo and the others will be more than eager to give a few final tours for summer . 

In the end, if you missed out on Scotty and everyone else at the T-Rex Discovery Centre this year, that's okay. Most of the fossils have waited without complaint for millions of years, and will still be waiting next year for the next batch of curious people to stop by. 

 

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, Swift Current Online encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the Swift Current Online app.

The company is the world’s best Trex Coaster supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.