The king of the dinosaurs just got BIGGER! T. Rex was 50ft long and weighed up to 15 TONS – 70% heavier than previously thought, research claims
- Researchers used computer models to look at the maximum size of dinosaurs
- T. Rex could weigh up to 15 tons and grow to 15 meters in length
With 60 razor-sharp teeth and jaws so powerful they could crush a car, the King of the Dinosaurs must have been a fearsome sight in itself.
But if that wasn’t enough, the T. rex could have been 70 percent heavier than previously thought – up to 15 tons – a study has found.
Researchers have used computer models to determine the maximum size of dinosaurs, using the famous T. Rex as an example.
Because the enormous size of many dinosaurs fascinated them endlessly, they wondered how these animals could grow so large.
The team used computer models to assess the T. rex, taking into account factors such as population size, growth rate, lifespan and more.
T. rex could have weighed up to 15 tons, compared to current weight estimates of 8.8 tons. And they could have been 25 percent longer, too, at 15 meters long instead of 12.
With 60 razor-sharp teeth and jaws so powerful they could crush a car, the king of the dinosaurs must have been a fearsome sight
The paleontologists found that the largest known T. rex fossils likely fall in the 99th percentile — meaning the top 1 percent of body size — but to find one, the fossils would have to be dug up for another 1,000 years.
The computer models suggest that the largest individual ever to have existed could have been 70 percent heavier than the largest specimens currently known.
If true, the animal could weigh as much as 15 tons, compared to current estimates of 8.8 tons.
And they could also have been 25 percent longer, namely 15 meters instead of 12.
The research, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, was conducted by a team from Queen Mary University of London and the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada.
The largest individual ever to have existed may have been 70 percent more massive than today’s largest known specimens (artist’s impression)
Dr Jordan Mallon, one of the study’s authors, said: ‘Our research suggests that when it comes to large fossil animals like T. rex, we really have no idea from the fossil record what absolute size they reached.
“It’s fun to think about a 15-ton T. Rex, but the implications are also interesting from a biomechanical or ecological perspective.”
Another study suggests that the T. Rex may also have had iron teeth that could have been used to tear apart their prey.
Researchers have discovered that the serrated edges of Komodo dragon teeth are coated with iron, which could provide clues to how dinosaurs killed and ate their food.
Dr Aaron LeBlanc, lead author of the study from King’s College London, said: ‘Komodo dragons have curved, serrated teeth that allow them to tear apart their prey, much like those of carnivorous dinosaurs.
‘We want to use this agreement to learn more about how carnivorous dinosaurs ate and whether they used the iron in their teeth in the same way as the Komodo dragon.
Unfortunately, with current technology we cannot determine whether fossilized dinosaur teeth had high iron content or not.
‘We think that the chemical changes that occur during the fossilization process make it unclear how much iron was originally present.’