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SOM#128, Don Everhart, The Fossil Collection, Tyrannosaurus Rex, 1994
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From the collection of John Birks
Number Issued: 200
TYRANNOSAURUS REX
ty - RAN - o - sawr - us reks
Late Cretaceous, North America
Undoubtedly the most well known and awe inspiring dinosaur of them all was Tyrannosaurus rex, a 48 foot long carnosaur. With his massive head, powerful jaws and 7 inch backward pointing serrated teeth, he certainly must have struck fear into the hearts of those dinosaurs unfortunate enough to be in his presence 65-70 million years ago. The function of the tiny arms on rex has not been well understood. They are too short to reach the animal's mouth, so were probably of no use when eating. One possibility put forth is that the arms assisted the giant reptile when standing up from a position of repose. The tail was probably held rigidly and served as a counterbalance when running. With his large powerful legs, T-rex was probably capable of short bursts of speed up to 40 mph. Most likely, the animal ambushed his prey using the element of surprise to bring it down.
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