Genus

Valid Extinct

Tyrannosaurus

Osborn 1905

Etymology king

Tyrannosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The type species Tyrannosaurus rex, often shortened to T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It lived throughout what is now western North America, on what was then an island continent known as Laramidia. Tyrannosaurus had a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids. Fossils are found in a variety of geological formations which have been dated to the late Maastrichtian age of the late Cretaceous period, 69 to 66 million years ago, with isolated specimens possibly indicating an earlier origin in the middle Campanian age. It was one of the last known members of the tyrannosaurids and among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.

Temporal range

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

Paleogene

Neogene

252 201 145 66 0 Ma

PBDB occurrences

Group

Dinosaures

Carnivore Ground dwelling, solitary Terrestrial

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Wikimedia

PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗

Classification

Dinosauria Unranked clade

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Theropoda Unranked clade

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Neotheropoda Unranked clade

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Averostra Unranked clade

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Tetanurae Unranked clade

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Coelurosauria Unranked clade

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Tyrannosauroidea Superfamily

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Tyrannosauridae Family

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Tyrannosaurinae Subfamily

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Tyrannosaurini Tribe

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Tyrannosaurus Genus

Measurements

Height

3,6 m ⓘ

Length

12 m ⓘ

12,5 m ⓘ

Tyrannosaurus rex

Mass

9 500 kg ⓘ

Tyrannosaurus rex

Did you know?

Its bite is among the most powerful ever measured in a land animal, estimated at up to roughly 57,000 newtons — enough to crush bone.
Its serrated teeth could exceed 30 cm in length including the root — among the largest ever carried by a carnivorous dinosaur.
More than 50 specimens have been found to date, including the famous "Sue," displayed at Chicago's Field Museum — one of the most complete ever discovered.
A specimen nicknamed "B-rex" revealed medullary bone, a tissue female birds grow to make eggshells — direct evidence of the dinosaur-bird link.
It kept growing until around age 40 before reaching its maximum adult size (roughly 8 tons) — a 2026 growth-ring study suggests a growth period about 15 years longer than previously thought.
The famous "Dueling Dinosaurs" fossil, long presented as a young Tyrannosaurus battling a Triceratops, turned out in 2025 to belong to an entirely different, already-mature species, Nanotyrannus lancensis — not a baby T. rex.
Its well-developed olfactory bulbs likely gave it a sense of smell comparable to, or even better than, many living carnivores.
It lived only at the very end of the Cretaceous, about 68 to 66 million years ago — long after iconic dinosaurs like Stegosaurus or Brachiosaurus.
Scientifically described in 1905 by Henry Fairfield Osborn, based on a fossil discovered by Barnum Brown in the Hell Creek Formation, Montana.
Though short, its arms were far from useless: each could likely lift around 200 kg, even though they could not reach its mouth.
A 2023 study published in the journal Science suggests its teeth were actually covered by scaly, lizard-like lips rather than permanently exposed as shown in most reconstructions — including the Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus.

Fossil sites 85 geolocated sites

Distribution

Top countries

🇺🇸 United States

🇨🇦 Canada

🇲🇽 Mexico

Geological formations

Hell Creek

Lance

Denver

Ferris

Frenchman

Scollard

Judith River

Fruitland/Kirtland

Hall Lake

Dinosaur Park

Temporal distribution

Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)

Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)

Species (8)

Albertosaurus megagracilis subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex 84 Ma

Aublysodon molnaris subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex 84 Ma

Dynamosaurus imperiosus subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex 84 Ma

Manospondylus gigas subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex 84 Ma

Tyrannosaurus imperator subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex 84 Ma

Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis 84 Ma

Tyrannosaurus regina subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus rex 84 Ma

Tyrannosaurus rex 84 Ma

Synonyms (5)

Dinotyrannus subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus

Dynamosaurus subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus

Manospondylus subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus

Stygivenator subjective synonym of Tyrannosaurus

Tyrannosauripus nomen nudum Tyrannosaurus

News 6

New Haolonggood Prehistoric Animal Figures in Stock at Everything Dinosaur

Dinosauria Spinosauria Tyrannosaurus

A large Haolonggood shipment of figures has arrived at Everything Dinosaur. There are fourteen, new Haolonggood prehistoric animal figures in stock. Tyrannosaurs, the Ancient Witness Paraceratherium, proboscidean models and the Spinosaurus mirabilis figures have arrived. Consequently, Mike and Sue have been busy supervising the unloading. Furthermore, customers have to be contacted. Four new tyrannosaur

23/10/2026 everythingdinosaur

Fabulous Feedback for Fabulous Rebor Reptile Replicas

scale Dinosauria Diplodocia Stegosauria Triceratops +1

The manufacturer Rebor is famous for its extensive range of prehistoric animal figures. Over the years, the company has made stunning models of dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Diplodocus and Stegosaurus. These figures are popular with collectors and dinosaur fans. In addition, Rebor has also made some remarkable scale models of extant reptiles. Models

19/10/2026 everythingdinosaur

New Research Provides Data on the Body Temperature of Tyrannosaurus

tooth Dinosauria Tyrannosaurus isotope

Scientists, using an innovative isotope method have calculated Tyrannosaurus rex body temperature. The novel research, published in the journal "Science Advances" sheds new light on the "King of the Tyrant Lizards". Remarkably, this famous, carnivorous dinosaur had a body temperature comparable to our own. Researchers used fossilised tooth enamel to estimate the T. rex body

01/10/2026 everythingdinosaur

A broken rib from the world’s largest T. rex hid a 66-million-year-old secret

bone metabolism pathology fossil Dinosauria +2

A broken rib from Scotty, the largest known T. rex skeleton, contains an extraordinary fossilized network of blood vessels formed while the dinosaur was healing. Scientists used neutron and X-ray imaging to look inside the 66-million-year-old bone without damaging it, revealing details rarely preserved in fossils.

24/09/2026 sciencedaily

A 66-million-year-old tooth reveals T. rex was nearly as warm as a human

tooth metabolism predator Dinosauria Tyrannosaurus +1

Chemical clues preserved inside fossilized T. rex teeth reveal that the dinosaur maintained a body temperature of about 97 degrees Fahrenheit, almost identical to humans. The finding provides direct evidence that the giant predator was warm-blooded, helping explain how it stayed active and survived in chilly environments as far north as Alaska.

20/09/2026 sciencedaily

Tyrannosaurus rex Had Mammal-Like Body Temperature, Study Finds

tooth metabolism predator Tyrannosaurus study

A new analysis of Tyrannosaurus rex teeth indicates the ancient predator maintained a body temperature of about 36.3 degrees Celsius (97.3 degrees Fahrenheit), close to that of Indian and African elephants and far warmer than its cold-blooded reptile neighbors. The post Tyrannosaurus rex Had Mammal-Like Body Temperature, Study Finds appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

18/09/2026 sci-news

Images 23

Bibliography

Original description

H. F. Osborn. 1905. Tyrannosaurus and other Cretaceous carnivorous dinosaurs. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 21(14):259-265

Bibliography (41)

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Tyrannosaurus

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