Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Who let the game devs do this? Cutting-edge paleontological studies explain the biological factors that made T.rex so successful and how it was able to outcompete all rivals. Tyrannosaurus rex was the biggest theropod known to science. T.rex is famous for its bone-crushing bite, incredible senses, and physical power, but it may have also been as intelligent as a primate. T.rex was so OP because of a combination of its keen senses, a bite force that could crush a car, a muscular and powerful body, high agility compared to other theropods, and intelligence that ranged from comparable to crocodiles to primates. Naming T.rex the Tyrant Lizard King was prophetic, as it seems that with every new study released T.rex only becomes more dangerous and majestic.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:16 SENSES
01:37 SIZE
02:50 BITE FORCE
03:27 SPEED AND AGILITY
04:38 INTELLIGENCE
05:49 CONCLUSION
WORKS CITED
Bates KT, Falkingham PL. Estimating maximum bite performance in Tyrannosaurus rex using multi-body dynamics. Biol Lett. 2012 Aug 23;8(4):660-4. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0056.
Gignac, P.M., Erickson, G.M. The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex . Sci Rep 7, 2012 (2017). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-02161-w
Herculano-Houzel, S. (2022). Theropod dinosaurs had primate-like numbers of telencephalic neurons. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 00, 1– 13. doi.org/10.1002/cne.25453
Hughes, G.M., and Finarelli, J.A. Olfactory receptor repertoire size in dinosaurs. 2019. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286: 20190909. doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.0909
Kverkova et al. 2022. The evolution of brain neuron numbers in amniotes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 119 (11): e2121624119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2121624119
Sellers et al. 2017. Investigating the running abilities of Tyrannosaurus rex using stress-constrained multibody dynamic analysis. PeerJ. 18;5:e3420. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3420.
Snively E, O'Brien H, Henderson DM, Mallison H, Surring LA, Burns ME, Holtz TR Jr, Russell AP, Witmer LM, Currie PJ, Hartman SA, Cotton JR. Lower rotational inertia and larger leg muscles indicate more rapid turns in tyrannosaurids than in other large theropods. PeerJ. 2019 Feb 21;7:e6432. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6432.
Stevens, Kent. (2006). Binocular vision in theropod dinosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology - J VERTEBRATE PALEONTOL. 26. 10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[321:BVITD]2.0.CO;2.
Witmer, L.M. and Ridgley, R.C. 2009. New Insights Into the Brain, Braincase, and Ear Region of Tyrannosaurs (Dinosauria, Theropoda) with Implications for Sensory Organization and Behavior. The Anatomical Record 292: 1266-1296. doi.org/10.1002/ar.20983
Randomdinos Scotty GDI. deviantart.com/randomdinos/art/Tyrannosaurus-rex-skeletal-reconstructions-759469239
Scott Hartman Sue GDI. skeletaldrawing.com/home/mass-estimates-north-vs-south-redux772013
Franoys Sue GDI. deviantart.com/franoys/art/Tyrannosaurus-rex-skeletal-diagram-FMNH-PR-2081-640670460
Polar Bear Size. polarguidebook.com/how-big-is-a-polar-bear
Chito and Pocho npr.org/2014/02/28/283934611/chito-and-pocho
Mallon and Hone 2022. allthatsinteresting.com/t-rex-true-size
Turkey Vultures Smell smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/turkey-vultures-have-keen-sense-smell-and-now-we-know-why-180967599
Tyrannosaurus Color Vision blog.nms.ac.uk/2020/03/04/tyrannosaurus-rex-was-no-senseless-killer
Human Running Speed marathonhandbook.com/how-fast-can-the-average-human-run
Vecteezy background vecteezy.com/free-vector/sci-fi-background Sci Fi Background Vectors by Vecteezy
Who let the game devs do this? Cutting-edge paleontological studies explain the biological factors that made T.rex so successful and how it was able to outcompete all rivals. Tyrannosaurus rex was the biggest theropod known to science. T.rex is famous for its bone-crushing bite, incredible senses, and physical power, but it may have also been as intelligent as a primate. T.rex was so OP because of a combination of its keen senses, a bite force that could crush a car, a muscular and powerful body, high agility compared to other theropods, and intelligence that ranged from comparable to crocodiles to primates. Naming T.rex the Tyrant Lizard King was prophetic, as it seems that with every new study released T.rex only becomes more dangerous and majestic.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:16 SENSES
01:37 SIZE
02:50 BITE FORCE
03:27 SPEED AND AGILITY
04:38 INTELLIGENCE
05:49 CONCLUSION
WORKS CITED
Bates KT, Falkingham PL. Estimating maximum bite performance in Tyrannosaurus rex using multi-body dynamics. Biol Lett. 2012 Aug 23;8(4):660-4. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0056.
Gignac, P.M., Erickson, G.M. The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex . Sci Rep 7, 2012 (2017). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-02161-w
Herculano-Houzel, S. (2022). Theropod dinosaurs had primate-like numbers of telencephalic neurons. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 00, 1– 13. doi.org/10.1002/cne.25453
Hughes, G.M., and Finarelli, J.A. Olfactory receptor repertoire size in dinosaurs. 2019. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286: 20190909. doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.0909
Kverkova et al. 2022. The evolution of brain neuron numbers in amniotes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 119 (11): e2121624119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2121624119
Sellers et al. 2017. Investigating the running abilities of Tyrannosaurus rex using stress-constrained multibody dynamic analysis. PeerJ. 18;5:e3420. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3420.
Snively E, O'Brien H, Henderson DM, Mallison H, Surring LA, Burns ME, Holtz TR Jr, Russell AP, Witmer LM, Currie PJ, Hartman SA, Cotton JR. Lower rotational inertia and larger leg muscles indicate more rapid turns in tyrannosaurids than in other large theropods. PeerJ. 2019 Feb 21;7:e6432. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6432.
Stevens, Kent. (2006). Binocular vision in theropod dinosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology - J VERTEBRATE PALEONTOL. 26. 10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[321:BVITD]2.0.CO;2.
Witmer, L.M. and Ridgley, R.C. 2009. New Insights Into the Brain, Braincase, and Ear Region of Tyrannosaurs (Dinosauria, Theropoda) with Implications for Sensory Organization and Behavior. The Anatomical Record 292: 1266-1296. doi.org/10.1002/ar.20983
Randomdinos Scotty GDI. deviantart.com/randomdinos/art/Tyrannosaurus-rex-skeletal-reconstructions-759469239
Scott Hartman Sue GDI. skeletaldrawing.com/home/mass-estimates-north-vs-south-redux772013
Franoys Sue GDI. deviantart.com/franoys/art/Tyrannosaurus-rex-skeletal-diagram-FMNH-PR-2081-640670460
Polar Bear Size. polarguidebook.com/how-big-is-a-polar-bear
Chito and Pocho npr.org/2014/02/28/283934611/chito-and-pocho
Mallon and Hone 2022. allthatsinteresting.com/t-rex-true-size
Turkey Vultures Smell smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/turkey-vultures-have-keen-sense-smell-and-now-we-know-why-180967599
Tyrannosaurus Color Vision blog.nms.ac.uk/2020/03/04/tyrannosaurus-rex-was-no-senseless-killer
Human Running Speed marathonhandbook.com/how-fast-can-the-average-human-run
Vecteezy background vecteezy.com/free-vector/sci-fi-background Sci Fi Background Vectors by Vecteezy
