Ask aDino Field Guide ← Cretaceous

Artist's reconstruction · realistic art coming in a later version

Tyrannosaurus

tie-RAN-uh-SOR-us

“Tyrant Lizard King”

Cretaceous
When
Late Cretaceous
Where
North America
Size
Up to 40 ft long
Diet
Meat

7 Facts

1–7
  1. Tyrannosaurus rex had one of the strongest bites of any land animal ever — strong enough to crush bone.
  2. Its name means “Tyrant Lizard King.”
  3. It could grow up to 40 feet long and 12 feet tall at the hip.
  4. Its arms were famously tiny, with just two fingers — but they were still very strong.
  5. It had an excellent sense of smell, with huge smell-processing parts of the brain.
  6. Its teeth were up to 8 inches long, shaped like deadly bananas.
  7. T. rex lived right up until the asteroid impact 66 million years ago.