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Tyrannosaur Paleobiology: New Research on Ancient Exemplar Organisms

Brusatte et al. (2010) Tyrannosaur Paleobiology: New Research on Ancient Exemplar Organisms. Science Vol. 329. no. 5998, pp. 1481 - 1485.doi:10.1126/science.1193304

Tyrannosaurs, the group of dinosaurian carnivores that includes Tyrannosaurus rex and its closest relatives, are icons of prehistory. They are also the most intensively studied extinct dinosaurs, and thanks to large sample sizes and an influx of new discoveries, have become ancient exemplar organisms used to study many themes in vertebrate paleontology. A phylogeny that includes recently described species shows that tyrannosaurs originated by the Middle Jurassic but remained mostly small and ecologically marginal until the very end of the Cretaceous. Anatomical, biomechanical, and histological studies of T. rex and other derived tyrannosaurs show that large tyrannosaurs could not run rapidly, were capable of crushing bite forces, had accelerated growth rates and keen senses, and underwent pronounced changes during ontogeny. The biology and evolutionary history of tyrannosaurs provide a foundation for comparison with other dinosaurs and living organisms.

Edit request on 20 November 2012

Could someone fix the caption for the size comparison chart in the description, it incorrectly states that the Tyrannosaurus is in Purple when it is actually in green, thanks. 173.62.214.23 (talk) 18:50, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

Fixed. FunkMonk (talk) 18:52, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2012/03/where-are-all-the-baby-dinosaurs.html heres one. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.106.87.30 (talk) 09:31, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

Should we try to find/create a new restoration for the Description area?

I've noticed some anatomical issues with the current image, such as shrink-wrapping, a snake-like tail, a strange, almost charcharodontosaur-esque head and human-like legs (that is to say they're extended in a position almost as it were standing completely erect ala Homo-genus homonids or Canis-genus dogs). I would propose replacing it with another, more scientific image, and moving the current image to the T.rex in popular culture article's header, but that's just me. In any case, I'd prefer a consensus to be had before relocating the image or not, just to be safe. --Paleontology is a wonderful thing. Shame many people outside of science don't understand the many dinosaurs aren't what they used to be. (talk) 02:59, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

I don't really see most of what you've listed. This isn't a hadrosaur, so the tail was bendable. "Shrink-wrapping" refers to restorations where the bones almost protrude through the skin, such as here[3], giving an emaciated appearance, and I don't see that either. Not sure what you mean by "charcharodontosaur-esque" head, the head here has a concave profile, whereas charcharodontosaurs are more convex. One leg is extended, yet flexed and not straight, so not sure what you mean by man-like. We have this[4] alternative, but the head seems a bit small there, and the tail too thin. FunkMonk (talk) 03:25, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

To do list needs to get nuked

It is outdated, and includes erroneous suggestions. FunkMonk (talk) 01:34, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Exactly what kind of erroneous information do you find in this article?? everything is cited from scientific sources and cannot be changed.

If you find a hypothesis that is not plausible at least for you, you must find a page were that information is contradicted and cite that as a reference, take as an example the 1.8-1.56 m skull change for Giganotosaurus. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dinoexpert (talk • contribs) 02:10, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

The to-do list (top of this page), not the article itself.

FunkMonk - yeah. I suggest you just take to it with an axe %-D - David Gerard (talk) 10:26, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

Oh, I see what you said. Yes, I agree with you that The list needs to be changed, Tyrannosaurus was not a scavenger most of the time and many of the other suggestions are wrong, I will make the best to change that.--Dinoexpert (talk) 21:47, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

Caudofemoralis muscle may have increased Tyrannosaurus speed.

Hello. I would like to bring these interesting articles to attention and possibly include the information into the T rex article. According to the articles; Scott Persons, a graduate student from the university of Alberta has postulated that the caudofemoralis muscle(The muscle connecting the tail bone to the thigh bone) of a T rex may have enhanced its speed. According to the article there is a difference between T rex and modern day animals such as birds and mammals, since it also had muscle arrangements similar to that of reptiles. Furthermore, T rex had its tail ribs at a higher position thus allowing more room for tail muscles to increase. The ribs are also different in terms of shape and strength. According to his calculations which were made through computer modeling, the tail mass may have been underestimated by around 45%.The caudofemormalis muscle would then act with T rex's leg muscles to pull the leg back and thereby enhance T rex's running ability, turning ability and balance.

" As for the creature's exact speed, the researchers say that it is very hard to measure, but Parsons says that it could have been the fastest animal in its ecosystem."http://news.softpedia.com/news/T-Rex-s-Tail-Gave-It-Extra-Speed-166825.shtml

From the journal abstract: The expanded M. caudofemoralis of Tyrannosaurus may have evolved as compensation for the animal's immense size. Because the M. caudofemoralis is the primary hind limb retractor, large M. caudofemoralis masses and the resulting contractile force and torque estimates presented here indicate a sizable investment in locomotive muscle among theropods with a range of body sizes and give new evidence in favor of greater athleticism, in terms of overall cursoriality, balance, and turning agility."http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.21290/abstract

"When you think about T. rex and its tail, don’t think of a seesaw. Instead, think of a souped-up Volkswagen, because it’s what was in the trunk that provided all the locomotive power." Scott Persons guest contribution to the Archosaur Wordpress blog of paleontologist David Hones-http://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/guest-post-bulking-up-the-back-end-why-tyrannosaurus-tail-mass-matters/

Here are the links to the articles:

Articles that reference the journal: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101115131127.htm http://news.softpedia.com/news/T-Rex-s-Tail-Gave-It-Extra-Speed-166825.shtml http://www.livescience.com/11207-rex-declared-faster-inspection-rump.html http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2010/11/17/t-rexs-big-tail-was-its-key-to-speed-and-hunting-prowess http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/dinosaurs/8137663/T-Rex-was-able-to-outrun-any-prey-research-suggests.html

The journal: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.21290/abstract;jsessionid=CF6BBFE49B8B7235FF9E508F3A3911F7.d02t02 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.21290/full

Archosaur Musings word press blog by Paleontologist David Hone of the University of Bristol. http://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/guest-post-bulking-up-the-back-end-why-tyrannosaurus-tail-mass-matters/

I would also like to point out that a similar assertion is now being proposed for Carnotosaurus and hadrosaurs. The article here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111014212405.htm proposes that Carnotosaurus also benefited from a similar system. The same conclusion was also made for hadrosaurs when scientist found the mummified hadrosaur; Dakota in 2008. Here is the quote: "The CT scan also was able to accomplish an analysis of the soft tissue of the animal, including the musculature of the tail. The scans revealed that these muscle groups, responsible for the animal's locomotion, were much larger than previously assumed. The research team noted that the estimated size of the muscles would mean that Dakota could run at speeds of up to 28 miles/hour, which is faster than previously thought for these animals.3 Dr Manning noted that this would make the hadrosaur faster than one of its predators, the Tyrannosaurus rex, which would make sense from a survival standpoint." Here is the source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071203-dino-mummy.html. The story of Dakota the mummified hadrosaur was covered in national geographic.

The study seems reliable considering the expertise of the people involved and its publishing in the journal, "The Anatomical Record". the study seems comprehensive with computer modeling, research on biomechanics, comparisons with existing reptiles etc. It is also fairly recent having been published around 2010. I also think that Scott Persons' study has merit considering that T rex may have followed the same evolutionary pattern as some of the other dinosaurs; with their speed being enhanced by strong tail muscles.

So can Persons'; findings be included into the T rex article?DinopediaR (talk) 13:57, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

I reconstructed hadrosaur tails like that when I was ten. It seemed so obvious, and I wondered why artists kept drawing them with skinny tails and their hip bones sticking out. It was nice confirmation when Dakota was discovered, but I was amazed that people were amazed. — kwami (talk) 08:03, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

I would also like to add that while responding to a question in the archosaur blog of David Hone, he postulated that the tail muscles were also a repository of elastic energy, which probably means it helped the animal conserve energy. " theropod tails probably did sway as the animals ran, but, far from being energetically wasteful, they may have been massive stores of elastic energy. " http://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/guest-post-bulking-up-the-back-end-why-tyrannosaurus-tail-mass-matters/ DinopediaR (talk) 15:44, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

It would be pretty interesting to read, It would expand and make this article even better, so I would say it is appropriate.--Dinoexpert (talk) 20:10, 9 July 2013 (UTC)